Other forms: proscribed, proscribing, proscribes
To proscribe is to forbid something by official order. Proscribe the organisation, a proscribed drug, proscribe the practice.
It is easily confused with prescribe, which is almost the opposite, since to prescribe is to order something done. In Roman history to proscribe was to post a citizen's name up as outlawed, which is the original act.
1verbproscribeTo forbid something by official order.
“The government moved to proscribe the group under the terrorism act.”
proscribe is a forbidding.
Latin proscribere means to publish in writing or post up a name, from pro plus scribere, to write; those posted were outlawed.
Proto-Indo-European
*per-
Latin
prōscrībō — to proclaim, forbid, banish
Middle English
proscriben
English, today
proscribe
From Middle English proscriben, from Latin prōscrībō (“to proclaim, forbid, banish”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA