Emily Dickinson Lexicon

EM-BAR'GO, n. [Sp. embargo; Port. Fr. id. This is a modern word from the Spanish and Portuguese. In Portuguese, embaraçàr, which the Spanish write embarazar, is to embarrass, entangle, stop, hinder; Port. embaraço, impediment, embarrassment, stop, hinderance. The palatal being changed into z and s, we have embarrass from this word; but embargo retains the palatal letter.]

In commerce, a restraint on ships, or prohibition of sailing, either out of port, or into port, or both; which prohibition is by public authority, for a limited time. Most generally it is a prohibition of ships to leave a port.