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es·chew

(ĕ-sh, ĕs-ch)

tr.v. es·chewed, es·chew·ing, es·chews

1. To avoid using, accepting, participating in, or partaking of: “Italian tends to eschew the sort of polite euphemisms in which English glories” (David Leavitt). See Synonyms at evade.

2. To refrain from (doing something).

[Middle English escheuen, from Old French eschivir, of Germanic origin; akin to akin to SHY¹.]

es·chewal (-əl) n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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