To avoid means to stay away from someone or something. It can also mean to prevent something bad from happening.
From Old French “esvuidier,” meaning “to empty out” or “clear out,” which became “avoid” in English. The sense moved from physically clearing space to steering clear of something.
Originally, to avoid was to “make empty,” as in clearing a place. When you avoid a problem now, you’re really trying to clear it out of your path, at least for a while.
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