different between avertress vs avert

English

Etymology

averter +? -ess

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??v??t??s/

Noun

avertress (plural avertresses)

1. A woman, girl, goddess, or other female agent who averts.
   • 1838: Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, “The Beacon — from The Agamemnon”, chorus (lines 35–39), page 259

     When ?neath him yawned th’ expectant grave,
     

     Nor either parent dar’d to save,
     

     Tho’ hoary both, the life they gave,
     

     ?Twas thine in youth to seek the tomb,
     

     Avertress of thy husband’s doom?!

   • 1923: Swami Vijnanananda, The S’rimad Devi Bhagawatam, volume 1, chapter XIX: “On the going to the Svayamvara assembly of Sudars’ana”, verses 34–37 (links: [1], [2], [3], [4])

     O Son! Let Ambikâ Devî protect your front; Padmalochanâ protect your back; Pârvatî, your two sides; S’ivâ Devî, all around you; Vârâhî, in dreadful paths; Durgâ, in royal forts, Kâlikâ, in terrible fights; Parames’varî, in the platform hall; Mâtamgî, in the Svayamvara hall; Bhavanî, the Avertress of world, amidst the kings; Girijâ, in mountain passes; Chamundâ, in the sacrificial ground, and let the eternal Kâmagâ, protect you in the forests.

References

Anagrams

• traverses

English

Etymology

From Middle English averten, adverten, from Old French avertir (“turn, direct, avert; turn the attention, make aware”), from Latin ?vertere, present active infinitive of ?vert?, from ab + vert? (“to turn”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??v??t/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /??v?t/
• Rhymes: -??(?)t

Verb

avert (third-person singular simple present averts, present participle averting, simple past and past participle averted)

1. (transitive) To turn aside or away.

   To avert the eyes from an object.

2. (transitive) To ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of.

   How can the danger be averted?

   • 1700, Matthew Prior, Carmen Seculare. for the Year 1700

     Till ardent prayer averts the public woe.

3. (intransitive, archaic) To turn away.

   • Cold and averting from our neighbour's good.

4. (transitive, archaic) To turn away.
   • 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Unity in Religion

     When atheists and profane persons do hear of so many discordant and contrary opinions in religion, it doth avert them from the church.

Synonyms

• (to prevent): forestall
• See also Thesaurus:hinder

Derived terms

• averter (agent noun: epicene or masculine)
• avertress (agent noun: feminine)

Translations

References

• "avert" at OneLook® Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Trave, tarve, trave

Romansch

Alternative forms

• aviert (Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Puter)

Etymology

From Latin apertus.

Adjective

avert m (feminine singular averta, masculine plural averts, feminine plural avertas)

1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Surmiran, Vallader) open

Related terms

• avrir