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eschew

[ es-choo ]
/ ɛsˈtʃu /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR eschew ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid: to eschew evil.

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RELATED WORDS

abandon, renounce, avoid, forgo, forswear, shun, shy, abstain, double, sacrifice, abjure, refrain, elude, evade, duck

Nearby words

  1. escher,
  2. escher figure,
  3. escher, m. c.,
  4. escherichia,
  5. escherichia coli,
  6. eschscholtzia,
  7. esclavage,
  8. escoffier,
  9. escoffier, georges auguste,
  10. escolar

Origin of eschew

1300–50; Middle English eschewen < Old French eschiver, eschever < Germanic; compare Old High German sciuhen, German scheuchen, shy2
Related formses·chew·al, nounes·chew·er, nounun·es·chewed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for eschew

British Dictionary definitions for eschew

eschew

/ (ɪsˈtʃuː) /

verb

(tr) to keep clear of or abstain from (something disliked, injurious, etc); shun; avoid
Derived Formseschewal, nouneschewer, noun

Word Origin for eschew

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for eschew

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper