Obviacioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of preventing or clearing away a difficulty or need before it arises, often by taking measures in advance
2. Removing or forestalling an obstacle or problem ahead of time, as an archaic term for avoiding trouble
3. A premature measure taken to get rid of or head off a difficulty before it can cause harm

Etymology: In Latin, "obviare" meant "to meet in the way," from "ob-" ("in the way of") and "via" ("road"). Someone who obviated you had literally stepped into your path. From that physical sense grew the figurative one of standing in the way of a difficulty, so to obviate something was to head it off or remove it. The English noun "obviation" follows the same path, from the act of meeting a thing on the road to the act of preventing it. "Obviacioun" is a Middle English spelling of that noun. Its ending, "-cioun," reflects the Old French "-cion" that English borrowed from Latin "-tio," which explains why the word looks so different from its modern form. The noun is rare today, and I am not certain of the exact date of its first English attestation, but its spelling marks it as a late medieval borrowing.