Prevent

• POS: Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: pre=vent

CIDE DICTIONARY

Prevent, v. t. [L. praevenire, praeventum; prae before + venire to come. See Come.].

•  To go before; to precede; hence, to go before as a guide; to direct.  [1913 Webster]

  "We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep."  [1913 Webster]

  "We pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow us."  [1913 Webster]

  "Then had I come, preventing Sheba's queen."  [1913 Webster]
•  To be beforehand with; to anticipate.  [1913 Webster]

  "Their ready guilt preventing thy commands."  [1913 Webster]
•  To intercept; to hinder; to frustrate; to stop; to thwart.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

  "Perhaps forestalling night prevented them."  [1913 Webster]

Prevent, v. i. 

 To come before the usual time.  [1913 Webster]
"Strawberries . . . will prevent and come early."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Prevent, v.tr.
1 (often foll. by from + verbal noun) stop from happening or doing something; hinder; make impossible (the weather prevented me from going).
2 archaic go or arrive before, precede.

Derivative

preventable adj. (also preventible). preventability n. (also preventibility). preventer n. prevention n.

Etymology

ME = anticipate, f. L praevenire praevent- come before, hinder (as PRAE-, venire come)

THESAURUS

Prevent

abort, anticipate, arrest, avert, avoid, baffle, balk, ban, bar, block, check, control, curb, dam, debar, deflect, delay, deny, deter, disallow, discourage, dishearten, embargo, enjoin, estop, exclude, exclude from, fend, fend off, foil, forbid, foreclose, forestall, frustrate, hamper, help, hinder, impede, inhibit, intercept, interdict, interrupt, keep from, keep off, mitigate, obstruct, obviate, outlaw, preclude, prohibit, proscribe, refuse, reject, repel, repress, restrain, retard, rule out, save, say no to, shut out, slow, stave off, suppress, taboo, thwart, turn aside, ward, ward off

ROGET THESAURUS

Prevent

Remedy

VB apply a remedy, doctor, dose, physic, nurse, minister to, attend, dress the wounds, plaster, drain, prevent, relieve, palliate, restore, drench with physic, bleed, cup, let blood, manicure, operate, excise, cut out, incise.

Hindrance

VB hinder, impede, filibuster, impedite, embarrass, keep off, stave off, ward off, obviate, avert, antevert, turn aside, draw off, prevent, forefend, nip in the bud, retard, slacken, check, let, counteract, countercheck, preclude, debar, foreclose, estop, inhibit, shackle, restrict, obstruct, stop, stay, bar, bolt, lock, block, block up, choke off, belay, barricade, block the way, bar the way, stop the way, forelay, dam up, put on the brake, scotch the wheel, lock the wheel, put a spoke in the wheel, put a stop to, traverse, contravene, interrupt, intercept, oppose, hedge in, hedge round, cut off, inerclude, interpose, interfere, intermeddle, cramp, hamper, clog, clog the wheels, cumber, encumber, incumber, handicap, choke, saddle with, load with, overload, lay, lumber, trammel, tie one's hands, put to inconvenience, incommode, discommode, discompose, hustle, corner, drive into a corner, run foul of, fall foul of, cross the path of, break in upon, thwart, frustrate, disconcert, balk, foil, faze, feaze, feeze, baffle, snub, override, circumvent, defeat, spike guns, spoil, mar, clip the wings of, cripple, put an extinguisher on, damp, dishearten, discountenance, throw cold water on, spoil sport, lay a wet blanket, throw a wet blanket on, cut the ground from under one, take the wind out of one's sails, undermine, be in the way of, stand in the way of, act as a drag, hang like a millstone round one's neck.