Prevent Once Meant to Go Before, Not to Stop
To prevent is to stop something happening. For centuries it meant to come before or anticipate, and the older sense survives in old prayers.
To prevent is to stop something from happening. The Latin *praevenire* means to come before, and English used it that way for centuries: an old prayer asks God to *prevent us in all our doings*, meaning go before us and guide us. The modern sense grew from the idea of getting there first.
- To stop something happening. *Prevent the spread.*
- To stop someone doing something. *Nothing prevented him from leaving.*
- To go before (archaic). *Prevent us, O Lord.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | prevent | Prevent damage. |
| Past | prevented | Prevented from voting. |
| Noun | prevention | Fire prevention. |
| Adjective | preventable | A preventable death. |
| Adjective | preventive | Preventive measures. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Prevention is better than cure.A proverb with a long history.
- He was prevented from boarding.Prevented from plus -ing.
- Most of these injuries are preventable.Public health language.
Preventive or preventative?
- Preventive — the older and shorter form
- Preventative — equally correct, and very common
- Prevention — the noun
- Prophylaxis — the medical term for preventive treatment
- Precaution — an action taken in advance against a risk
From Latin *praevenire*, to come before or anticipate, from *prae* and *venire*, to come — the same verb as in *convene*, *event* and *adventure*.
Preventive or preventative?
Both are standard. Preventive is shorter and preferred by many editors; preventative is not an error.
Prevent from doing or prevent to do?
Prevent someone from doing something. Prevent to do is not English.