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avert

[uh-vurt]
verb (used with object)
  1. to turn away or aside: to avert one's eyes.
  2. to ward off; prevent: to avert evil; to avert an accident.
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Origin of avert

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French avertir ≪ Latin āvertere, equivalent to ā- a-4 + vertere to turn
Related formsa·vert·ed·ly, adverba·vert·er, nouna·vert·i·ble, a·vert·a·ble, adjectiveun·a·vert·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for avertedly

Historical Examples

  • Then, as he avertedly drew the letter from his bosom, he whispered to himself—Out on thee, Pierre!

    Pierre; or The Ambiguities

    Herman Melville

British Dictionary definitions for avertedly

avert

verb (tr)
  1. to turn away or asideto avert one's gaze
  2. to ward off; prevent from occurringto avert danger
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Derived Formsavertible or avertable, adjective

Word Origin

C15: from Old French avertir, from Latin āvertere; see averse
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for avertedly

avert

v.

c.1400, from Old French avertir (12c.), "turn, direct; avert; make aware," from Vulgar Latin *advertire, from Latin avertere "to turn away, to drive away," from ab- "from, away" (see ab-) + vertere "to turn" (see versus). Related: Averted; averting.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper