To turn away or look away from something; to prevent something bad from happening.
From Latin 'avertere' (ab- 'away' + vertere 'to turn'). The word has meant both the physical act of turning and preventing something for centuries.
This word perfectly captures how 'turning away' can be both physical (averting your eyes) and protective (averting a disaster)—the same action word works for both meanings because preventing things requires stepping aside from the path.
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