Interdict

From Awe

Interdict can be both a noun[ and a verb. In both, the '-c-' is pronounced, unlike in indict. In interdict, the sound is '-k-'.

• In the noun, the stress is on the first syllable: an 'INT-er-dikt'.
• In the verb, the main stress is on the third syllable, to 'int-er-DIKT'.

The main meaning of the verb is 'to prohibit' or 'forbid. The noun means a 'prohibition', with specialised meanings: in religious law (mostly historical, with reference to the Roman Catholic church); in Scots (and ancient Roman) Law, where it is the equivalent of an English injunction; and the military, where it has been used increasingly since 1951 to mean 'to prevent supply', or 'to disrupt communications', usually by bombardment and nowadays from the air.