First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
banish
verb ban·ish \ˈba-nish\
: to force (someone) to leave a country as punishment
: to send (someone or something) away
: to cause (something) to go away : to get rid of (something)
Full Definition of BANISH
transitive verb
1
: to require by authority to leave a country
2
: to drive out or remove from a home or place of usual resort or continuance
3
: to clear away : dispel <his discovery banishes anxiety — Stringfellow Barr>
— ban·ish·er noun
— ban·ish·ment \-nish-mənt\ noun
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Origin of BANISH
Middle English, from Anglo-French baniss-, stem of banir, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German bannan to command — more at ban
Synonym Discussion of BANISH
banish, exile, deport, transport mean to remove by authority from a state or country. banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own <banished for seditious activities>. exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country <a writer who exiled himself for political reasons>. deport implies sending out of the country an alien who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged inimical to the public welfare <illegal aliens will be deported>. transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony <a convict who was transported to Australia>.
BANISHMENT Defined for Kids
banish
verb ban·ish \ˈba-nish\
ban·ishedban·ish·ing
Definition of BANISH for Kids
1
: to force to leave a country
2
: to cause to go away <banish fears>
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