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Origin and history of avoid

avoid(v.)

late 14c., "shun (someone), refrain from (something), have nothing to do with (an action, a scandal, etc.), escape, evade," from Anglo-French avoider "to clear out, withdraw (oneself)," partially Englished from Old French esvuidier "to empty out," from es- "out" (see ex-) + vuidier "to be empty," from voide "empty, vast, wide, hollow, waste," from Latin vocivus "unoccupied, vacant," a derivative of vacare "be empty" (from PIE *wak-, extended form of root *eue- "to leave, abandon, give out").

In Middle English with a wide range of meanings now obsolete: "to empty, rid, take out, remove, discharge from the body, send away; eject or banish; destroy, erase; depart from or abandon, go away." The current sense corresponds to Old French eviter with which it perhaps was confused. Related: Avoided; avoiding.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to avoid

avoidable(adj.)

"capable of being avoided," mid-15c., from avoid + -able. Related: Avoidably.

avoidance(n.)

late 14c., "action of emptying," from avoid + -ance. The sense of "action of dodging or shunning" is recorded from early 15c.; it also meant "action of making legally invalid" (1620s), and, of an office, etc., "becoming vacant" (mid-15c.).

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confront
1560s, "to stand in front of, be facing," from French confronter (15c.), from Medieval Latin confrontare "assign limits to; adjoin," and confrontari "be contiguous to," from assimilated form of Latin com "with, together" (see con-) + frontem (nominative frons) "forehead" (see fro
debar
early 15c., "to shut out, exclude" (from a place), also "prevent, prohibit" (an action), from French débarrer, from Old French desbarer (12c., which, however, meant only "to unbar, unbolt," from des- "do the opposite of" (see dis-) + barrer "to bar," from barre "bar" (see bar (n.
obviate
1590s, "to meet and dispose of, clear (something) out of the way," from Late Latin obviatus, past participle of obviare "act contrary to, go against," from Latin obvius "that is in the way, that moves against," from obviam (adv.) "in the way," from ob "in front of, against" (see
eschew
"to refuse to use or participate in; stand aloof from; shun; avoid," mid-14c., from Old French eschiver "shun, eschew, avoid..., dispense with," from Frankish *skiuhan "dread, avoid, shun," from Proto-Germanic *skeukhwaz (source also of Old High German...sciuhen "to avoid, escape," German scheuen "to fear, shun, shrink from," scheu "shy, timid"); see shy (adj.)....Italian schivare "to avoid, shun, protect from," schivo "shy, bashful" are related loan words from Germanic....
shun
Middle English shunnen, "keep out of the way of, avoid (a person or place); refrain from, neglect (a practice or behavior...)," from Old English scunian "run away from, avoid; abhor, loathe; seek safety by concealment," a word of uncertain origin...A shun-pike (American English, by 1805 as a name of a road in New York) was a road constructed to avoid tolls....
escape
.);" late 14c. as "avoid experiencing or suffering (something), avoid physical contact with; avoid (a consequence)."...
wince
winchen, "to recoil suddenly," from Anglo-French *wenchir, Old North French *wenchier (Old French guenchir) "to turn aside, avoid...
dodge
1560s, "go this way and that in speech or action," a sense now obsolete; from 1680s as "start suddenly aside, shift suddenly," as to evade a blow;" 1704 as "to move to and fro, shift about;" origin and sense evolution obscure. Perhaps it is from or akin to Scottish and Northern E
refrain
mid-14c., refreinen, transitive, "exercise control over, restrain; hold (someone or something) back from action," senses now obsolete, also "exercise control over" (thoughts, desires, feelings, vices, etc.); from Old French refraigner, refrener, refreiner "restrain, repress, keep
beard
"close growth of hair on the chin and lower face, normally characteristic of an adult male" (that of the upper lip being distinguished in Modern English as the mustache), Old English beard "beard," from Proto-Germanic *bard (source also of Old Frisian berd, Middle Dutch baert, Ol

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