eschew
[es-choo]
- to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid: to eschew evil.
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Origin of eschew
1300–50; Middle English eschewen < Old French eschiver, eschever < Germanic; compare Old High German sciuhen, German scheuchen, shy2
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
abandon, renounce, avoid, forgo, forswear, shun, shy, abstain, double, sacrifice, abjure, refrain, elude, evade, duckExamples from the Web for eschew
Contemporary Examples
Of all the female celebrities to eschew the feminist label, Susan Sarandon seemed a most unlikely candidate.
Stella McCartney has long been known to eschew animal-derived materials in her designs.
Chelsea Clinton Takes NBC Reporting to the Next Level, Interviews Stella McCartneyMisty White Sidell
June 19, 2013
Like Americans did when they elected Barack Obama, we should eschew our old shibboleths and forge ahead on a revolutionary path.
You eschew ostentation when times are good, and you pay your fair share of the cost when times are bad.
Generally speaking, I eschew Super Bowl parties, and for two reasons.
Historical Examples
He did not eschew work because he was lazy, it seemed; but he saw no use in it.
Ruth Fielding and the GypsiesAlice B. Emerson
To eschew strife and bragging, spite and greed, would that be love?
The Sayings Of ConfuciusConfucius
Sweet children, let your delight be courtesy, and eschew rudeness.
You're surely not going to eschew the higher mammals, like our respected father-in-law?
FraternityJohn Galsworthy
It is not hard to eschew cognac and claret, but there is no cure for "buzzing."
Campaigns of a Non-Combatant,George Alfred Townsend
eschew
- (tr) to keep clear of or abstain from (something disliked, injurious, etc); shun; avoid
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Word Origin
C14: from Old French eschiver, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German skiuhan to frighten away; see shy 1, skew
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for eschew
v.
mid-14c., from Old French eschiver "shun, eschew, avoid, dispense with," from Frankish *skiuhan "dread, avoid, shun," from Proto-Germanic *skeukhwaz (cf. Old High German sciuhen "to avoid, escape," German scheuen "to fear, shun, shrink from," scheu "shy, timid"); see shy (v.). Related: Eschewed; eschewing. Italian schivare "to avoid, shun, protect from," schivo "shy, bashful" also are loan words from West Germanic.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper