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embargo

Etymology and origin of the English word embargo

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Formation
Borrowing
Borrowed from
Spanish embargo

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɪmˈbɑːɡəʊ/ (UK); /ɪmˈbɑɹɡoʊ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Spanish embargo (“seizure, arrest”),[2][3][4][5] from Spanish embargar (“to impede, restrain”),[2][3][5] from Vulgar Latin *imbarricāre,[2][3][4][5] formed from Latin in- “into, upon” and Vulgar Latin *barra “bar”.[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

An order forbidding ships to enter or leave a country's ports (1590s).[5][6][3]

Semantic evolution

The word widened from the detention of ships to any suspension of trade imposed by law (1658–1659)[6] and to any stoppage or prohibition (1692).[6] The verb first meant “to seize, confiscate” (1650);[6][4] the sense “to put under an embargo” dates from 1755.[6][3] In modern use it also means a temporary ban on publishing information.[1]

Timeline

  • 1593 – first date given by Merriam-Webster and Barnhart.[3][4]
  • 1602 – an order forbidding ships to enter or leave port.[6]
  • 1650 – verb, to seize or confiscate.[6][4]
  • 1658–1659 – a suspension of commerce.[6]
  • 1692 – any stoppage or prohibition.[6]
  • 1755 – verb, to lay ships or trade under an embargo.[6][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A government order forbidding merchant ships to enter or leave its ports.
  2. An official ban on trade with a particular country.
  3. Any prohibition or restraint.
  4. A temporary ban on releasing certain information.

Verb

  1. To place under an embargo.

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Embargo.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/embargo. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·