avert

From Old French avertir (“turn, direct, avert; turn the attention, make aware”), from Latin āvertere, present active infinitive of āvertō, from ab + vertō (“to turn”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈvɜːt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˈvɝt/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)t

avert (third-person singular simple present averts, present participle averting, simple past and past participle averted)

1. (transitive) To turn aside or away.

   To avert the eyes from an object.

2. (transitive) To ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of.

   How can the danger be averted?

   • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton

     To avert his ire.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Prior

     Till ardent prayer averts the public woe.

3. (intransitive, archaic) To turn away.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Thomson

     Cold and averting from our neighbour's good.

4. (transitive, archaic) To turn away.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Francis Bacon

     When atheists and profane persons do hear of so many discordant and contrary opinions in religion, it doth avert them from the church.

• (to prevent): forestall
• See also Thesaurus:hinder

• averter (agent noun: epicene or masculine)
• avertress (agent noun: feminine)

• "avert" at OneLook® Dictionary Search.

• Trave, tarve, trave

• (Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Puter) aviert

From Latin apertus.

avert m (feminine singular averta, masculine plural averts, feminine plural avertas)

1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Surmiran, Vallader) open

• avrir