Banish \Ban"ish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Banished(?); p. pr. & vb. n. Banishing.]

[OF. banir, F. bannir, LL. bannire, fr. OHG. bannan to summon, fr. ban ban. See Ban an edict, and Finish, v. t.]

1. To condemn to exile, or compel to leave one's country, by authority of the ruling power. ``We banish you our territories.'' --Shak.

2. To drive out, as from a home or familiar place; -- used with from and out of.

How the ancient Celtic tongue came to be banished from the Low Countries in Scotland. --Blair.

3. To drive away; to compel to depart; to dispel. ``Banish all offense.'' --Shak.

Syn: To Banish, Exile, Expel.

Usage: The idea of a coercive removal from a place is common to these terms. A man is banished when he is forced by the government of a country (be he a foreigner or a native) to leave its borders. A man is exiled when he is driven into banishment from his native country and home. Thus to exile is to banish, but to banish is not always to exile. To expel is to eject or banish, summarily or authoritatively, and usually under circumstances of disgrace; as, to expel from a college; expelled from decent society.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)