avert
/əˈvɜːrt/
verb
Origin
Latin
avertere — to turn away
Overview
Meaning Now
- To turn away one's eyes or thoughts.
- To prevent or ward off an undesirable occurrence.
Literal older meaning
to turn away
Language path
Latin → Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
avertir
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The word stems from the Latin 'avertere', which combined 'ab-' (away) and 'vertere' (to turn). In Middle English, it was often used in legal or formal contexts regarding the 'turning away' of specific actions or disasters. It shares a deep linguistic root with 'verse', 'version', and 'convert'.
Evolution
- Latin
avertere
“to turn away”
- Old French
avertir
“to turn away, to inform (later sense development)”
Influenced by *advertere* (to advert), merging meanings in some dialects.
- Middle English
avert
“to turn aside, ward off”
Direct borrowing from Latin/French forms.
Connections
Word parts
ab-
prefix
away from
vertere
root
to turn
Related across languages
French
avertir
to warn (shifted meaning)
Italian
avvertire
to warn or to notice
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Related to avert
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.