To drive away or banish, especially in the phrase 'aroint thee' used to ward off evil or unwanted spirits.
Origin uncertain; possibly from Old English or a blend of 'a-' plus an unknown root. Shakespeare used it in *Macbeth* ('Aroint thee, witch!'), and it may derive from Scandinavian or Germanic sources, but the true origin remains a lexicographic mystery.
Aroint is one of English's most delightfully obscure words—even Shakespeare used it, but nobody's entirely sure where it came from, making it a linguistic ghost that haunted medieval and Early Modern English texts without leaving clear ancestry.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.