eschew
verb

- to avoid something intentionally, or to give something up

- to avoid habitually especially on moral or practical grounds

Cambridge Dictionary / Merriam-Webster

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WORD ORIGIN

The word "eschew" has its origins in Middle English and can be traced back to the Old French word eschiver or eschuier, which means "to avoid or shun". This Old French word is derived from the Proto-Germanic word skiuhan or skeuhwan, which also means to avoid or shun.

The ultimate origin of "eschew" lies in the Proto-Indo-European root skeu, which translates to "to cover" or "hide".

Over time, the word evolved to its present form, "eschew", which means to deliberately avoid or abstain from something.

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FROM THE LIMERICK ARCHIVES

A grammarian named Hugh,
Spoke with words that he'd carefully eschew,
He'd say, "This one's wrong,
But that one's quite strong,
My limericks are clever, it's true!"

There once was a doctor named Lou,
Who thought that we all should eschew,
The stresses of life,
The toil and the strife,
By laughing at jokes tried and true.

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SYNONYMS

- to shun or shy away from

abstain (from), avoid (dealing with, doing something), back away (out of), be reluctant to, bypass, cease (to indulge in), demur (at, from), desist (from), disacknowledge, disallow, disapprove, disavow, disclaim, disconfirm, disdain, dispense with, disown, dodge, do away with (without), draw the line at, duck out of, ESCHEW, fend off, fight shy of, forgo, forget, forsake, forswear, give a wide berth (to), give something a miss, give the go by (the thumbs down), go without, have done with (no truck with, nothing more to do with), hold back (from), keep at arm's length (away from, clear of, out of the way of, your distance), lay off (of), leave (alone, behind, off, leave out), let well enough alone, not touch, pass (on, over, up), refuse (to acknowledge, to take advantage of), refrain (from), reject, renounce, repudiate, repulse, resist (the temptation to), restrain (from), say no to, shake one's head at, shy away (from), skirt (round), skip (out on), snub, spurn, stay away (clear) (from, of), stay shy of, steer clear (of), surcease, swear off, turn away (from), turn your back on, veto, waive, ward off, wash your hands of, withdraw (from), withgo, withhold (from)

—
SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“What steps can a person take to ESCHEW distractions and maintain focus during important tasks?”

—
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