déviter

Déviter is a French verb whose meaning overlaps with éviter: to keep away from someone or something, or to prevent something from happening. In contemporary standard French, the usual form is éviter. Déviter is not widely recognized as a separate lemma and is generally regarded as a rare, regional, or erroneous spelling rather than a distinct verb.

Etymology and status. Both déviter and éviter derive from Latin evitare. The modern spelling év-i-ter carries the standard root évit-, and the prefix dé- in déviter is not a productive or regularly accepted modifier in current French. As a result, déviter is infrequently attested and most dictionaries treat it as a non-standard variant or misspelling of éviter rather than a separate word.

Usage and syntax. When used, déviter would follow the same syntactic patterns as éviter: it is typically transitive, taking a direct object (éviter quelque chose) or being followed by constructions that express avoidance or prevention. Common patterns with éviter—and by extension the sense associated with déviter when encountered—include éviter de + infinitif (to avoid doing something) and éviter que + subjonctif (to prevent that something happens). For clarity and correctness, most writers prefer éviter in all standard contexts.

Examples (standard form). J’évite les erreurs. Il faut éviter de parler trop fort. Il faut éviter que cela se reproduise.

See also. Éviter, prévenir, fuir, éviter les pièges.

Note: In practice, déviter is rarely used in modern French; readers should rely on éviter for clear and accepted usage.