Obviation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɒbviˈeɪʃən/

Definitions

1. The act of making something unnecessary through proactive measures or addressing potential issues before they arise
2. The process of actively preventing a problem or difficulty before it occurs
3. The action taken to sidestep or remove the need for a particular event or condition

Etymology: "Obviation" is a learned word that came into English from the Middle Ages, passing through Latin and a form of Middle English. Its ancestor is the Medieval Latin "obviātiō," a noun built from "obviāre," meaning to meet something in the way or to block its path. That literal image of stepping in front of something carries straight into the English sense of forestalling a difficulty before it arrives. Middle English borrowed the word as "obviacioun," and it has kept the older sense of heading off trouble rather than dealing with it afterwards. Its meaning is essentially "obviate," the verb that means to remove or prevent a problem, so the noun names the act of doing so. Because "obviation" is now rare, most readers meet the verb far more often than the noun.

Synonyms: prevention, avoidance, elimination, obstruction, hindrance

Antonyms: facilitation, assistance, support