prevenire

to prevent; to forestall

verb preh-veh-NEE-reh Less Common

Origin: Latin praevenire (to come before), from prae- + venire (to come)

Usage Note

Prevenire is an irregular verb of the venire family: present prevengo, previeni, previene, preveniamo, prevenite, prevengono. It takes avere as its auxiliary. A well-known Italian proverb is prevenire è meglio che curare (prevention is better than cure). Do not confuse with prevenuto (prejudiced/biased), which is a different adjective derived from this verb but with a distinct meaning.

Examples

"Bisogna prevenire le malattie con una dieta sana."

Natural Translation

Diseases must be prevented with a healthy diet.

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