Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep
Proto-Indo-European *-o
Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó
Proto-Italic *ap
Latin ab
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent-
Proto-Indo-European *-s
Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts
Proto-Indo-European *-i
Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti
Proto-Italic *anti
Latin ante
Late Latin ab ante
Old French avantbor.
Middle Englishder.
English avaunt
First used 1275–1325; Middle English, from Old French avant (“to the front”).
Meanings
(archaic) Begone; depart; used in contempt or abhorrence.
In order to exorcise this she-devil, the attendants made circles on the walls with charcoal, within each was written: "Adam, Eve, Lilas, avaunt!" 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 114:
He drew Adamcos and waved it at the monkey. “Avaunt, thou goblin!” he cried. 1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 145:
Avaunt, away! the cruel ſway,
Tyrannic man's dominion 1793, Robert Burns, “Song Composed in August (Now Westlin Winds)”, in Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, 2nd edition, volume II, Edinburgh: […] T[homas] Cadell, […], and William Creech, […], published 1793, →OCLC, page 133:
Zuc. Hence auant I will marie a woman with no wombe, a creature with two noſes, a wench with no haire rather then remarie thee, […] 1604 (date written), Iohn Marston [i.e., John Marston], Parasitaster, or The Fawne, […], London: […] T[homas] P[urfoot] for W[illiam] C[otton], published 1606, →OCLC, Act IV, scene i:
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep
Proto-Indo-European *-o
Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó
Proto-Italic *ap
Latin ab
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent-
Proto-Indo-European *-s
Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts
Proto-Indo-European *-i
Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti
Proto-Italic *anti
Latin ante
Late Latin ab ante
Old French avantbor.
Middle Englishder.
English avaunt
First used 1275–1325; Middle English, from Old French avant (“to the front”).
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep
Proto-Indo-European *-o
Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó
Proto-Italic *ap
Latin ab
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent-
Proto-Indo-European *-s
Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts
Proto-Indo-European *-i
Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti
Proto-Italic *anti
Latin ante
Late Latin ab ante
Old French avantbor.
Middle Englishder.
English avaunt
First used 1275–1325; Middle English, from Old French avant (“to the front”).
Meanings
(obsolete) To advance; to move forward; to elevate.
But he, the more outrageous and bold,
Sternely did bid him quickely thence avaunt 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
(obsolete) To depart; to move away.
That they should not avaunt[…]into the dongeon of eternal damnacion. 1549, Miles Coverdale, transl., The Paraphrase of Erasmus upon the New Testament, London: Edward Whitchurche, Volume 2, Jude 21: