I. ə̇mˈbär(ˌ)gō, em-, -ˈbȧ( noun
( -es )
Etymology: Spanish, from embargar to embargo, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin imbarricare, from Latin im- in- (II) + (assumed) Vulgar Latin -barricare (from barra bar)
1. : an edict or order of the government prohibiting the departure or entry of ships of commerce at ports within its dominions — compare blockade ; see civil embargo , hostile embargo
2. : a prohibition imposed by law upon commerce either in general or in one or more of its branches
3. : stoppage , impediment ; especially : prohibition
an embargo against employment of union labor was notoriously one of the chief obstructions to collective bargaining — Felix Frankfurter
4. : an order that is issued by a common carrier or public regulatory agency and that prohibits the acceptance of all or of specified kinds of freight for transportation on its lines or between specified points or areas because of traffic congestion, labor difficulties, or other reasons
II. “, in pres part “or -gəw transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
1. : to lay or put an embargo on (as ships or commerce) ; often : to prevent the movement of (as diseased plants or animals) in commerce
2. : to retain or seize for state purposes or under state authority
embargoing all batches of vaccine until the source of contamination could be identified
: requisition