From Spanish 'embargar' (to bar) — originally a maritime ban on ships leaving port. Sibling of 'embarrass.'
An official ban on trade or other commercial activity with a particular country; a prohibition.
From Spanish 'embargo' (a seizure, an arrest, a prohibition), from 'embargar' (to bar, to impede, to restrain, to seize), from Vulgar Latin '*imbarricāre' (to block with a bar), from 'in-' (in, into) + 'barra' (bar, barrier). The word entered English in the context of maritime trade — an embargo was originally an order prohibiting ships from leaving port. The same root 'barra' gives English 'bar,' 'barrier,' 'barricade,' and 'embarrass' (originally to impede, to obstruct). Key roots: barra (Vulgar Latin: "bar, barrier").
'Embargo' and 'embarrass' are siblings — both from the same root 'barra' (bar). An embargo bars trade; embarrassment originally meant being barred or impeded (before it shifted to mean social discomfort). The Spanish phrase 'sin embargo' (however, nevertheless) literally means 'without impediment' — used constantly in Spanish, it is the equivalent of English 'however.' So every time a Spanish speaker says 'sin embargo,' they are saying 'without embargo,' lifting the bar to let their counterargument