early 15c., "act in anticipation of," from Latin praeventus, past participle of praevenire "come before, anticipate, hinder," in Late Latin also "to prevent," from prae & [..]

to keep something from happening.

keep from happening or arising; make impossible; "My sense of tact forbids an honest answer"; "Your role in the projects precludes your involvement in the compet [..]

to stop something from happening

A preventative maneuver is an action that decreases the risk of a future event or the threatened onset of disease. Primary prevention is designed to stop a condition from developing.. Secondary prevention is designed to stop or slow progression of a disease or disorder when patients have a disease and are at risk for developing something related to [..]

 to anticipate.

farhitn

stop; interrupt.

(v) keep from happening or arising; make impossible(v) stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state

Precede, anticipate. (Latin prœ-venio, to go before.) And as what goes before us may hinder us, so prevent means to hinder or keep back.

A Government counter-terrorist programme which aims to stop people being drawn into terrorist-related activity.

A national population study.

(transitive) To stop; to keep (from happening). from 16th c. ''I brushed my teeth to prevent them from going yellow.'' * date=October 1, 2011 |author=Tom Fordyce |title=Rugby World Cup 2011: Engl [..]

lang=en 1600s=1678 * '''1678''' — . ''''. *: For my part, I am of opinion, that he has, by his wicked life, caused many to stumble and fall; and will be, if God prevent not, the ruin of many more. [..]