inhibir

to inhibit

verb een-ee-BEER Rare

Origin: From Latin inhibere (to hold in, restrain), from in- + habere (to hold).

Also means

to suppress

Usage Note

Inhibir is used in medicine, chemistry, psychology, and law to mean 'to restrain or suppress' a process or impulse. The reflexive inhibirse means 'to hold back' or 'to be inhibited' in a social sense. Do not confuse it with prohibir (to prohibit), which implies an external legal ban; inhibir suggests a blocking mechanism, whether physiological or psychological.

Examples

"El fármaco inhibe la producción de cortisol."

Natural Translation

The drug inhibits cortisol production.

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