inhibition

n. [ L. inhibitio: cf. F. inhibition. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The act of inhibiting, or the state of being inhibited; restraint; prohibition; embargo. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Physiol.) A stopping or checking of an already present action; a restraining of the function of an organ, or an agent, as a digestive fluid or enzyme, etc.; as, the inhibition of the respiratory center by the pneumogastric nerve; the inhibition of reflexes, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) A writ from a higher court forbidding an inferior judge from further proceedings in a cause before; esp., a writ issuing from a higher ecclesiastical court to an inferior one, on appeal. Cowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Chem., Biochem.) The reduction in rate or stopping of a chemical or biochemical reaction, due to interaction with a chemical agent. [ PJC ]