banish

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈbænɪʃ/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like vanish /v/ vs /b/

Freq #15721

Meanings

1

verb
To send someone away from a place, especially as an official punishment, and forbid them to return.

He was banished from the kingdom for his crimes.
2

verb
To force a thought or feeling out of your mind.

She tried to banish her fear before walking on stage.
3

verb
To exclude someone from a group or community.

Their family banished them for marrying outside the faith.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to send someone away from a... expel bar

3 verb · to exclude someone from a... ban blackball

Word family

Forms banishedbanishesbanishing

Derived forms banishablebanisheebanisherrebanishunbanish

Related forms banishment

Simplified etymology

Banish entered English in the late Middle English period and comes from the same root as ban, a Germanic word that also passed into French.

Etymology

From Middle English banishen, from Old French baniss-, extended stem of banir (“to proclaim, ban, banish”), of Germanic origin and Old English bannan, from Proto-Germanic *bannaną (“curse, forbid”). Compare French bannir. Doublet of ban.

*bʰeh₂- Proto-Indo-European banishen Middle English baniss- Old French bannan Old English *bannaną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# banish

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈbænɪʃ/
**Frequency rank:** 15721

## Meanings
1. To send someone away from a place, especially as an official punishment, and forbid them to return.
2. To force a thought or feeling out of your mind.
3. To exclude someone from a group or community.

## Examples
- He was banished from the kingdom for his crimes.
- She tried to banish her fear before walking on stage.
- Their family banished them for marrying outside the faith.

## Derived Forms
- banishable
- banishee
- banisher
- rebanish
- unbanish

## Related Forms
- banishment

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *bʰeh₂-
- Root: banishen
- Root: baniss-
- Root: bannan
- Root: *bannaną

## Etymology
From Middle English banishen, from Old French baniss-, extended stem of banir (“to proclaim, ban, banish”), of Germanic origin and Old English bannan, from Proto-Germanic *bannaną (“curse, forbid”). Compare French bannir. Doublet of ban.

## AI Etymology
Banish is from Middle English banishen, from Old French baniss-, extended stem of banir (“to proclaim, ban, banish”), of Germanic origin and Old English bannan, from Proto-Germanic *bannaną (“curse, forbid”). Compare French bannir. Doublet of ban. Important recorded forms include *bʰeh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), banishen (Middle English), baniss- (Old French), bannan (Old English), and *bannaną (Proto-Germanic). Current senses include to send someone away from a place, especially as an official punishment, and forbid them to return, to force a thought or feeling out of your mind, and to exclude someone from a group or community. The wider family includes derived forms such as banishable, banishee, banisher, rebanish, and unbanish and related words such as banishment.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

markdown