Meaning

verb stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something

verb prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening

verb refrain from doing something

originFrom Middle English avoiden, from Anglo-Norman avoider, Old French esvuidier (“to empty out”), from es- + vuidier, from Vulgar Latin *vocitāre < Vulgar Latin *vocitum, ultimately related to Latin vacuus. Displaced native Old English forbūgan (literally “to bend away from”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0