Forms: 4–7 auaunt, 5–8 au- avant, (5 a-want), 4– avaunt. [a. F. avant to the front, forward, before:—L. ab ante ‘from before,’ used in late L. for the simple ante; cf. arrear.]
† A. adv. Forward, to the front. Obs.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 3958. With that word came Drede avaunt. Ibid., 4793. Never the more avaunt, Right nought am I thurgh youre doctrine.
1415. Pol. Poems (1859), II. 125. Lete every man preve hym silfe a good man this day, and avant baneres.
c. 1440. Arthur, 444. Than seyd Arthour, ‘Auaunt Baner, & be Goo.’
B. interjectionally. orig. and lit.: Onward! move on! go on! Hence, Begone! be off! away!
c. 1485. Digby Myst. (1882), III. 925. A-wantt, a-want þe, onworthy wrecchesse!
c. 1525. Skelton, Agst. Garnesche, 112. Avaunt, Avaunt, thou sloggysh.
1607. Chapman, Bussy D’Amb., Plays, 1873, II. 55. Auant about thy charge.
1687. Congreve, Old Bachelor, III. vi. No! No! Avaunt! I’ll not be slabbered and kissed now.
a. 1725. Pope, Odyss., XIX. 80. Avaunt, she cried, offensive to my sight!
1849. C. Brontë, Shirley, II. ii. 43. Accosted me as Satan, bid me avaunt.
C. prefix. Forward, fore-. See later spelling AVANT-, also the aphetic forms VANT-, VAN-.
