Banish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Banished(p. pr. & vb. n. Banishing.]
Etymology: [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. 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.
Shades of meaning
Banish, primarily to put under ban, to compel by authority to leave a place or country, perhaps with restriction to some other place or country. From a country, a person may be banished, exiled, or expatriated; banished from any country where he may happen to be, but expatriated or exiled only from his own. One may expatriate or exile himself; he is banished by others. Banish is a word of wide import; one may banish disturbing thoughts; care may banish sleep. To expel is to drive out with violence or rudeness, and so often with disgrace.
Prepositions
Cataline was banished from Rome; John the Apostle was banished to Patmos.