Escheuen

Escheuen is a historical spelling of the English verb eschew. Meaning to deliberately avoid, abstain from, or shun, escheuen appears in Early Modern English texts and in some dialect writings. The modern standard form eschew has largely replaced it. Etymology traces eschewen back to Old French eschewer or escheoir, meaning to reject or abandon, with the English verb entering Middle English with forms that resembled eschewen or escheun before settling on eschew. In usage, escheuen is found chiefly in older literature, religious treatises, and scholarly reconstructions of English spelling. It carries the same sense as eschew—often employed with objects like excess, folly, harm, or obligation—and tends to appear in formal or archaizing registers. Examples from historical texts include phrases such as escheuen many vanities or to escheuen violence, though modern editors would render these passages with eschew. In modern English, one should use eschew in ordinary speech and writing; escheuen remains a historical spelling variant and may appear in quoted or discussed texts about language history.