to reprove or scold, esp. in a mild and good-willed manner: The teacher admonished him about excessive noise.
3.
to urge to a duty; remind: to admonish them about their obligations.
Origin: 1275–1325; late ME admonish, amonesche, admonesse, amoness, ME a(d)monest (with -t later taken as ptp. suffix) < AF, OF amonester < VL *admonestāre, appar. deriv. of L admonēre to remind, give advice to (source of -est- uncert.), equiv. to ad-ad-+ monēre to remind, warn
Related forms:
ad⋅mon⋅ish⋅er, noun
ad⋅mon⋅ish⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
ad⋅mon⋅ish⋅ment, noun
Synonyms: 1.See warn.2.rebuke, censure, upbraid. See reprimand.
To counsel (another) against something to be avoided; caution.
To remind of something forgotten or disregarded, as an obligation or a responsibility.
[Middle English amonishen, admonishen, alteration of amonesten, from Old French amonester, admonester, from Vulgar Latin *admonestāre, from Latin admonēre : ad-, ad- + monēre, to warn; see men-1 in Indo-European roots.] ad·mon'ish·er n., ad·mon'ish·ing·ly adv., ad·mon'ish·ment n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to correct or caution critically. Admonish implies the giving of advice or a warning in order to rectify or avoid something: "A gallows erected on an eminence admonished the offenders of the fate that awaited them" (William Hickling Prescott). Reprove usually suggests gentle criticism and constructive intent: With a quick look, the teacher reproved the child for whispering in class. Rebuke and reprimand both refer to sharp, often angry criticism: "Some of the most heated criticism . . . has come from the Justice Department, which rarely rebukes other agencies in public" (Howard Kurtz). "A committee at [the university] asked its president to reprimand a scientist who tested gene-altered bacteria on trees" (New York Times). Reproach usually refers to regretful or unhappy criticism arising from a sense of disappointment: "Every other author may aspire to praise; the lexicographer can only hope to escape reproach" (Samuel Johnson).
[ad-mon-ish] 
