forbidden

[ fer-bid-n, fawr- ]
See synonyms for forbidden on Thesaurus.com
verb
  1. a past participle of forbid.

adjective
  1. not allowed; prohibited: a forbidden food in his religion.

  2. Physics. involving a change in quantum numbers that is not permitted by the selection rules: forbidden transition.

Origin of forbidden

1
First recorded in 1200–50, for the adjective

Other words from forbidden

  • for·bid·den·ly, adverb
  • for·bid·den·ness, noun
  • pre·for·bid·den, adjective
  • self-for·bid·den, adjective
  • un·for·bid·den, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for forbidden

forbidden

/ (fəˈbɪdən) /


adjective
  1. not permitted by order or law

  2. physics involving a change in quantum numbers that is not permitted by certain rules derived from quantum mechanics, esp rules for changes in the electrical dipole moment of the system

usage For forbidden

It was formerly considered incorrect to talk of forbidding someone from doing something, but in modern usage either from or to can be used: he was forbidden from entering/to enter the building

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012