prevent

Prevent is a verb meaning to stop something from happening or to reduce the likelihood or severity of an expected outcome. The noun form is prevention, describing the actions or measures taken to avert harm or loss. In many contexts, prevention emphasizes proactive steps taken before an event occurs rather than response after it happens.

Etymology: prevent derives from Latin praevenire, meaning to come before. Over time, the word has taken on specialized meanings in medicine, public health, safety, and policy, often paired with adjectives such as preventive or preventive measures.

Applications: In public health, prevention includes vaccination, screening, hygiene practices, and risk reduction strategies. In safety engineering, preventive measures include device interlocks, alarms, guardrails, and training to avert accidents. In cybersecurity, preventive controls aim to block attacks through patch management, access controls, and secure coding. In law and governance, prevention informs policies intended to avert crime or harm, such as crime prevention through environmental design.

Limitations: Preventing every unwanted event is not always possible; risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis guide prioritization. Preventive actions may introduce burdens, trade-offs, or unintended consequences, and some events require rapid response rather than prevention alone.