# prevention

Pronunciation: US say "pri-VEN-shuhn" /pɹɪˈvɛnʃən/; UK

## Noun

1. The act of stopping something from happening, or of blocking an action, access, or approach.
   - Simple: The act of stopping something from happening or getting in its way.
   - _The committee devoted most of its budget to the prevention of fraud._
   - _His timely warning ensured the prevention of a costly error._
2. A measure intended to limit health-related risks, such as vaccination, early diagnosis, or public information campaigns.
   - Simple: Steps taken to lower the risk of getting sick or hurt.
   - _The clinic's prevention program offers free screenings to the whole neighborhood._
   - _Early diagnosis remains a powerful form of prevention for many cancers._
3. Care or planning carried out in advance to guard against possible trouble.
   - Simple: Care taken ahead of time to avoid problems later.
   - _Good prevention meant packing extra supplies before the long drive._
   - _Her habit of prevention kept the household ready for any emergency._

## Noun

4. Anticipation, especially the anticipation of needs, wishes, hazards, and risks before they arise. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Seeing ahead to what will be needed or wanted, or to dangers that may come.
5. The act of going before, or the state of being ahead in time or place. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The act of going first, or of being ahead of something else.

## Origin

This word comes from Middle English "prevencion," which was borrowed from Medieval Latin "prēventiō."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/prevention (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).