avert

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French avertir (“turn, direct, avert; turn the attention, make aware”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin āvertere, present active infinitive of āvertō, from ab + vertō (“to turn”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈvɜːt/
• IPA^(key): /əˈvɝt/
• 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.

   To avert the eyes from an object.

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

   How can the danger be averted?

   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     To avert his ire.

   • (Can we date this quote by Prior and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Till ardent prayer averts the public woe.

3. (intransitive, archaic) To turn away.
   • (Can we date this quote by Thomson and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Cold and averting from our neighbour's good.

4. (transitive, archaic) To turn away.
   • (Can we date this quote by Francis Bacon and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

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

Synonyms

• (to prevent): forestall
• See also Thesaurus:hinder

Derived terms

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

Translations

to turn aside

• Bulgarian: отклонявам (bg) (otklonjavam)
• Dutch: ontwijken (nl)
• Finnish: kääntää poispäin
• German: abwenden (de)
• Greek: αποστρέφω (el) (apostréfo)
• Hungarian: elfordít (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: snúa frá, snúa undan, beina frá, snúa sér undan, líta undan
• Korean: 돌리다 (ko) (dollida)
• Maori: kaupare, kaupapare
• Russian: отводи́ть (ru) impf (otvodítʹ), отвести́ (ru) pf (otvestí)
• Spanish: apartar (es)
• Swedish: vända bort

to ward off

• Bulgarian: отблъсквам (bg) (otblǎskvam), отбивам (bg) (otbivam)
• Czech: odvrátit
• 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)
• Hungarian: elhárít (hu), elkerül (hu), kivéd (hu), megakadályoz (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: afstýra, koma í veg fyrir
• Italian: evitare (it)
• Korean: 방지하다 (ko) (bangjihada)
• 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)

References

• "avert" at OneLook® Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Trave, tarve, trave

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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