Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Prevention has 2 different meanings across 1 category:
the act of preventing
"there was no bar against leaving"
"money was allocated to study the cause and prevention of influenza"
The act of preventing or hindering; obstruction of action, access, or approach; thwarting.
"The heavy snowfall caused a complete prevention of traffic on the mountain roads for days."
In plain English: Prevention is stopping something bad from happening before it starts.
"Taking vitamins is an important part of disease prevention."
Usage: Use prevention to describe the act of stopping something bad from happening before it occurs, such as taking medicine to prevent illness rather than treating it after symptoms appear. Avoid using it to mean a simple obstacle or hindrance to an ongoing action, which is better described as obstruction.
The word prevention entered English from the Middle French form of a Medieval Latin term meaning an act done beforehand to stop something else. It originally referred to taking measures in advance rather than reacting after an event occurred.