Origin: Latin prefix pre-
Prevent has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
To stop (an outcome); to keep from (doing something).
"The heavy rainstorm prevented us from going on our planned hike, forcing us to stay inside instead."
In plain English: To prevent something means to stop it from happening before it starts.
"Wearing a helmet will prevent you from getting hurt in an accident."
Usage: Use prevent to describe stopping an event or outcome from happening in the first place. It implies taking action beforehand to ensure a specific result does not occur.
The word "prevent" comes from the Latin phrase meaning "to come before," which originally described anticipating an event. It entered English in Middle English with this same sense of taking action ahead of time to stop something from happening.