online medical dictionary | definition of proscription

1. The act of proscribing; a dooming to death or exile; outlawry; specifically, among the ancient Romans, the public offer of a reward for the head of a political enemy; as, under the triumvirate, many of the best Roman citizens fell by proscription. "Every victory by either party had been followed by a sanguinary proscription." (Macaulay)

2. The state of being proscribed; denunciation; interdiction; prohibition.

Origin: L. Proscriptio: cf. F. Proscription.

(01 Mar 1998)