bannen

Bannen is a Dutch verb meaning to ban, prohibit, or outlaw something or someone. It is used primarily in formal, legal, or policy contexts to indicate that an activity, product, or organization is forbidden or regulated. In contemporary Dutch, bannen is more formal or somewhat archaic compared with verbs like verbieden, and it appears mainly in official texts, historical accounts, or religious contexts. The related verb verbannen means to banish or exile a person from a place or community, rather than to prohibit an object.

Etymology and cognates: Bannen belongs to the Germanic family that also yields the English ban and the German verbannen. These cognates reflect a common theme of interdiction or expulsion that spans several languages.

Usage: In legal or regulatory language, bannen can be used to express prohibition with a direct object, such as a product, activity, or organization. When referring to people being forced to leave a location, verbannen is preferred. In historical or religious texts, bannen may appear in expressions describing sanctions or oaths.

See also: Ban, Banishment, Prohibition, Exclusion.