eschew

[es-choo]

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verb (used with object)

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

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

Synonyms for eschew

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circumvent, boycott; forgo.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for eschewal

restraint, evasion, prevention, repudiation, disavowal, flight, rescue, disappearance, freedom, departure, liberation, desertion, breakout, withdrawal, outbreak, distaste, antagonism, enmity, hostility, rancor

British Dictionary definitions for eschewal

eschew

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 eschewal

eschew

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.