Avoid
late Middle English: from Old French evuider ‘clear out, get rid of’, from vuide ‘empty’ (see void).
wiktionary
From Middle English avoiden, from Anglo-Norman avoider, Old French esvuidier(“to empty out”), from es- + vuidier, from Vulgar Latin*vocitāre < *vocitus < *vocivus, ultimately related to Latin vacuus. Displaced native Middle English mithe, which was cognate with Dutch mijden and with German meiden, vermeiden.
etymonline
avoid (v.)
late 14c., "shun (someone), refrain from (something), have nothing to do with (an action, a scandal, etc.), escape, evade," from Anglo-French avoider "to clear out, withdraw (oneself)," partially Englished from Old French esvuidier "to empty out," from es- "out" (see ex-) + vuidier "to be empty," from voide "empty, vast, wide, hollow, waste," from Latin vocivos "unoccupied, vacant," related to vacare "be empty," from PIE *wak-, extended form of root *eue- "to leave, abandon, give out."
In Middle English with a wide range of meanings now obsolete: "to empty, rid, take out, remove, discharge from the body, send away; eject or banish; destroy, erase; depart from or abandon, go away." Current sense corresponds to Old French eviter with which it perhaps was confused. Related: Avoided; avoiding.
