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banishment

 - 4 dictionary results

ban⋅ish

  [ban-ish]
Use banishment in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to expel from or relegate to a country or place by authoritative decree; condemn to exile: He was banished to Devil's Island.
2. to compel to depart; send, drive, or put away: to banish sorrow.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME banisshen < AF, OF baniss-, long s. of banir < Frankish *bannjan to proclaim, akin to ban 1

Related forms:
ban⋅ish⋅er, noun
ban⋅ish⋅ment, noun

Synonyms:
1. exile, expatriate, outlaw; deport.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To banishment
ban·ish   (bān'ĭsh)   
tr.v.   ban·ished, ban·ish·ing, ban·ish·es

  1. To force to leave a country or place by official decree; exile.

  2. To drive away; expel: We banished all our doubts and fears.


[Middle English banishen, from Old French banir, baniss-, of Germanic origin; see bhā-2 in Indo-European roots.]
ban'ish·er n., ban'ish·ment n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to send away from a country or state. Banish applies to forced departure from a country by official decree: The spy was found guilty of treason and banished from the country.
Exile specifies voluntary or involuntary departure from one's own country because of adverse circumstances: The royal family was exiled after the uprising.
Expatriate pertains to departure that is sometimes forced but often voluntary and may imply change of citizenship: She was expatriated because of her political beliefs.
Deport denotes the official act of expelling an alien: The foreigner was deported for entering the country illegally.
Transport pertains to sending a criminal abroad, usually to a penal colony: Offenders were transported to Devil's Island.
Extradite applies to the delivery of an accused or convicted person to the state or country having jurisdiction over him or her: The court will extradite the terrorists.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

banish 
c.1320, banischen, from banniss-, extended stem of O.Fr. banir "to proclaim an outlaw," from Frank. *bannjan "to order or prohibit under penalty," or from V.L. cognate *bannire (see bandit).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

banishment

prolonged absence from one's country imposed by vested authority as a punitive measure. It most likely originated among early civilizations from the practice of designating an offender an outcast and depriving him of the comfort and protection of his group. Exile was practiced by the Greeks chiefly in cases of homicide, although ostracism was a form of exile imposed for political reasons. In Rome, exile (exsilium) arose as a means of circumventing the death penalty (see capital punishment). Before a death sentence was pronounced, a Roman citizen could escape by voluntary exile. Later, degrees of exile were introduced, including temporary or permanent exile, exile with or without loss of citizenship, and exile with or without confiscation of property. The Romans generally determined punishment by class, applying sentences of banishment to the upper classes and sentences of forced labour to the lower classes.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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