Forms: 4–6 escheve (? escheue), eschewe, (4 ech-, esshue, etchewe, isschewe, 4–5 eschef, eschiewe, -uwe, eþchewe, 5 escheu, eshew, 6 escue, estchue, as-, estew(e, -iew), exchew(e, (4 exschew, 6 exchue, -tue), 4–7 eschu(e, 4– eschew. [a. OF. eschiver, eschever (also in other conjugations, as eschevoir, eschivir, eschivre), corresp. to Pr., Sp., Pg. esquivar, It. schivare (whence prob. mod.F. esquiver to dodge, the retention of the s being otherwise anomalous):—Common Romanic *skivāre, f. *skivo: see prec.; cf. OHG. sciuhen, MHG. schiuhen, schiuwen, mod.Ger. scheuen to dread, avoid, shun; also Eng. SHY v.]
1. trans. To avoid, shun.
† a. To avoid, keep clear of, escape (a danger or inconvenience). Rarely with clause as obj.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, Mathias, 205. [A sone] þat scho, til eschewe destiny, Ine a cophyne kest ine þe se.
c. 1460. Fortescue, Abs. & Lim. Mon. (1714), 105. To eschewe thees two Harmes, hyt may than be advised [etc.].
1514. Barclay, Cyt. & Uplondyshm. (Percy Soc.), 1. Pastoures … drawe to cotes for to eschewe the colde.
1526. Tindale, 2 Cor. viii. 20. Thus we eschue thatt eny man shulde rebuke us in this aboundance.
c. 1530. Ld. Berners, Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814), 17. To exchewe therby the displeasure of my lorde.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., V. v. 251. What cannot be eschew’d, must be embrac’d.
1671. J. Webster, Metallogr., iv. 61. To eschew tediosness, [I] shall transcribe what Dr. Jorden hath written.
1673. St. German’s Doctor & Stud., 60. To eschew that inconvenience that Statute was made.
† b. To ‘fight shy of,’ avoid (a place); to stand aloof from (a person). Obs.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. VI. 55. Suche men eschue.
1413. Lydg., Pilgr. Sowle, IV. iii. (1483), 59. The quene of Saba … eshewed it [that brydge] and took another wey.
c. 1450. Castle Hd. Life St. Cuthbert (Surtees), 160. Fra þen forthe sho forhewed Þe kynges presence, and it eschewed.
1553. T. Wilson, Rhet., 2. Beware … of straunge woordes, as thou wouldest take hede and eschewe greate rockes in the sea.
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., III. ii. VI. iii. (1651), 564. A woman a man may eschue, but not a wife.
c. To abstain carefully from, avoid, shun (an action, a course of conduct, an indulgence, an article of food or drink, etc.). The current sense: † Formerly with obj.-inf. preceded by to.
Johnson 1755 notes the word as ‘almost obsolete’; it is now not uncommon in literary use.
1340–70. Alex. & Dind., 1001. But al þat badde is for a burn here abouen erþe, Huo so haþ chaunce to echue & chese the betture.
c. 1375. Lay Folks Mass-bk. (MS. B.), 358. Gyue me grace for to etchewe to do þat þing þat me shuld rewe.
1388. Wyclif, 2 Tim. ii. 16. Eschewe thou vnhooli and veyn spechis.
c. 1450. Myrc, 28. Grete othes thow moste enchewe.
1509. Hawes, Joyful Medit., 20. They may extue For to do wronge.
1535. Coverdale, Ps. xvii. 23. I … will eschue myne owne wickednes.
1637. Earl Stirling, Doomesday, 9th Hour (R.). These curious doubts which good men doe eschew Make many atheists.
1656. Ridgley, Pract. Physick, 22. Fat things must be eschewed.
a. 1707. Beveridge, Serm., II. lxxxiii. (R.). They must not only eschew evil but do good in the world.
1801. Wordsw., Cuckoo & Night., xxiii. For every wight eschews thy song to hear.
1848. Thackeray, Van. Fair, xlv. He has already eschewed green coats, red neckcloths, and other worldly ornaments.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., IV. 693. Observers … thought that capitalists would eschew all connection with what must necessarily be a losing concern.
1876. Blackie, Songs Relig. & Life, 228. Eschew the cavilling critic’s art, The lust of loud reproving.
absol. 1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., I. i. II. viii. (1651), 25. Power to prosecute or eschue.
† 2. intr. To get off, escape. Obs.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XI. 391. Thai sall nocht weill eschew foroutyn fall.
c. 1450. Castle Hd. MS. Life St. Cuthb. (Surtees), 2525. And þat he couet to eschew.
1560. Rolland, Crt. Venus, IV. 441. Grant him his life … And I promit … That he sall not eschew away, nor fle.
† 3. trans. To rescue. Obs. rare. [So Fr. eschiver.]
c. 1500. Melusine, 170. Þey recouered there six of theire galeyes, & eschiewed þem fro the fyre.
Hence Eschewal, an eschewing, a keeping clear of (evil). Eschewance, the action of eschewing; avoidance. Eschewer, one who eschews, avoids, shuns. Eschewing vbl. sb., the action of the vb. ESCHEW in various senses. Eschewment, the action of eschewing.
1583. Babington, Commandm., vii. (1590), 278. Things which keepe chastitie vncorrupted … sobrietie, labour … & *eschewall [ed. 1637 eschewing] of oportunitie.
1656. Jeanes, Mixt. Scho. Div., 22. The bare eschewall of an evill is sufficient for the denomination of feare.
1841. G. S. Faber, Prov. Lett. (1844), I. 182. The convenient negative process of an eschewal of all cross-questioning.
1842. G. P. R. James, Morley Ernstein, xv. With that careful *eschewance of all listening ears … that gentleman remained bowing in silence till the waiter was out of the room.
1578. Ch. Prayers, in Priv. Prayers (1851), 460. Give them such judges, as are … *eschewers of all partiality.
1621. Dk. Buckhm., in Life Bacon, xxii. (1861), 501. A messenger of good news to you and an eschewer of evil.
1825. Coleridge, Aids Refl. (1848), I. 188. These eschewers of mystery.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., III. xi. 99. The ferme stablenesse of perdurable dwellynge and ek the *eschuynge of destruccyoun.
1563. in Vicary’s Anat. (1888), App. iii. 164. Theschuynge of the greate Daunger & perill of the … plage.
1864. Webster, *Eschewment (rare).
