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ban·ish

(bănĭsh)

tr.v. ban·ished, ban·ish·ing, ban·ish·es

1. To force to leave a country or place by official decree; exile: The spy was found guilty of treason and banished from the country.

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 the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

banish·er n.

banish·ment n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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