avert

See also: avért

English

Etymology

From Middle English averten, adverten, from Old French avertir (“turn, direct, avert; turn the attention, make aware”), from Latin āvertere, from ab + vertō (“to turn”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˈvɝt/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈvɜːt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)t

Verb

avert (third-person singular simple present averts, present participle averting, simple past and past participle averted)

1. (transitive) To turn aside or away.

   I averted my eyes while my friend typed in her password.

   • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Unity in Religion”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:

     When atheists and profane persons do hear of so many discordant and contrary opinions in religion, it doth avert them from the church.

2. (transitive) To ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of.

   Synonym: forestall

   How can the danger be averted?

   • 1700, Matthew Prior, Carmen Seculare. for the Year 1700:

     Till ardent prayer averts the public woe.

3. (intransitive, archaic) To turn away.
   • a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Spring”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC:

     Cold and averting from our neighbour's good.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:hinder

Derived terms

• avertable
• averter (agent noun: epicene or masculine)
• avertible
• avertress (agent noun: feminine)

Translations

to turn aside

Bulgarian: отклонявам (bg) (otklonjavam) Czech: odvrátit pf Dutch: ontwijken (nl) Esperanto: forturni Finnish: kääntää poispäin French: détourner (fr) German: abwenden (de) Greek: αποστρέφω (el) (apostréfo) Hindi: टालना (hi) (ṭālnā) Hungarian: elfordít (hu) Icelandic: snúa frá, snúa undan, beina frá, snúa sér undan, líta undan Italian: distogliere (it) Korean: 돌리다 (ko) (dollida) Macedonian: о́дврати (ódvrati) Maori: kaupare, kaupapare Russian: отводи́ть (ru) impf (otvodítʹ), отвести́ (ru) pf (otvestí) Spanish: apartar (es), desviar (es) Swedish: vända bort

to ward off

Bulgarian: отблъсквам (bg) (otblǎskvam), отбивам (bg) (otbivam) Czech: odvrátit pf, zabránit (cs) pf, předejít (cs) pf Dutch: voorkomen (nl), verhinderen (nl) Finnish: estää (fi), ehkäistä (fi) French: prévenir (fr) German: abwenden (de), verhindern (de) Greek: αποτρέπω (el) (apotrépo), αποσοβώ (el) (aposovó) Hindi: रोकना (hi) (roknā) Hungarian: elhárít (hu), elkerül (hu), kivéd (hu), megakadályoz (hu) Icelandic: afstýra, koma í veg fyrir Italian: evitare (it) Korean: 방지하다 (ko) (bangjihada) Macedonian: спре́чи (spréči), о́дврати (ódvrati), и́збегне (ízbegne), о́дбегне (ódbegne), о́дбие (ódbie) Malayalam: ഒഴിവാക്കുക (ml) (oḻivākkuka), അകറ്റുക (ml) (akaṟṟuka) Maori: wawao, araarai, ārai, parepare, papare, pare Russian: отража́ть (ru) impf (otražátʹ), отрази́ть (ru) pf (otrazítʹ), отбива́ть (ru) impf (otbivátʹ), отби́ть (ru) pf (otbítʹ), пари́ровать (ru) impf or pf (parírovatʹ), (to prevent) отвраща́ть (ru) impf (otvraščátʹ), отврати́ть (ru) pf (otvratítʹ), предотвраща́ть (ru) impf (predotvraščátʹ), предотврати́ть (ru) pf (predotvratítʹ) Spanish: evitar (es), impedir (es), prevenir (es)

References

• “avert”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• tarve, trave, Trave, Vater

Lombard

Etymology

Akin to aperto, from Latin apertus. Compare French ouvert.

Adjective

avert

1. open (not closed)

Romansch

Alternative forms

• aviert (Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Puter)

Etymology

From Latin apertus.

Adjective

avert m (feminine singular averta, masculine plural averts, feminine plural avertas)

1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Surmiran, Vallader) open

Related terms

• avrir