v.
(forbids, forbidding; past forbade
/-ˈbad, -ˈbeɪd/
or forbad; past part. forbidden)
- refuse to allow.
▸order not to do.
- make impossible; prevent:
the cliffs forbid any easy turning movement.
-
[as adj. forbidden]
Physics (of a quantum transition) contrary to a selection rule.
Phrase
- the forbidden degrees
the number of steps of descent from the same ancestor that bar two related people from marrying. - forbidden fruit
a thing that is desired all the more because it is not allowed.
[with biblical allusion to Gen. 2:17.]
- God
(or Heaven)
forbid
expressing a fervent wish that something does not happen.
Etymology
OE forbēodan (see for-, bid2).