Eschew

Pronunciation

UK
US , IPA: /É›sËˆtÊƒju/

US or IPA: /É›Ëˆskju/

John Walker's A Critical Pronuncing Dictionary and Expositor of the English Language, which quotes James Elphinston, who also preferred the spelling eskew

Garner's Modern American Usage prefers /s.tÊƒ/, proscribes /Êƒ/, and does not recognize /sk/.

Origin

From Middle English eschewen, from Anglo-Norman eschiver (third-person present eschiu), from Frankish *sciuhan ("to dread, shun, avoid"), from Proto-Germanic *skiuhwijanÄ… ("to frighten"). Cognate with Old High German sciuhen ("to frighten off"). More at shy.

Full definition of eschew

Verb

(transitive, formal) To avoid; to shun, to shy away from.

Usage notes

The verb eschew is not normally applied to the avoidance or shunning of a person or physical object, but rather, only to the avoidance or shunning of an idea, concept, or other intangible.

Derived terms

umbeschew