v. Also Sc. 6 avaid, ev-, ewaid. [a. Fr. évader, ad. L. ēvādĕre, f. ē out + vādĕre to go. Cf. Pr. evazir, Sp. evadir, It. evadere. (The trans. use does not occur in Lat. or mod.F., but is found in Fr. of the 15th c.)]
1. intr. To get away, escape: const. from, out of. rare in mod. use.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, II. viii. 102. All that fled war, and evadit Throw the dirk nycht.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., II. 661. That he micht nocht avaid out of thair handis.
1560. Rolland, Crt. Venus, II. 184. Gif ȝe wald fra this auenture ewaid.
1622. Bacon, Hen. VII., 245 (J.). His Wisdome, by often euading from Perils, was turned rather into a Dexteritie to deliuer himselfe from Dangers,… then [etc.].
1647. Lilly, Chr. Astrol., lxvi. 403. He was brought to some trouble, but evaded.
1735. Somerville, Chase, I. 345. The serous particles evade Thro’ th’ open Pores.
1880. Mrs. Whitney, Odd or Even, v. 33. The ‘three of ’em,’ as they were always numerically reproached when … a fowl evaded.
† b. In a Lat. sense: To ‘turn out’ to be. Obs.
1677. Gale, Crt. Gentiles, II. IV. 29. Doth it [the soul] not evade altogether happy, being freed from Error?
2. trans. To escape by contrivance or artifice from (attack, pursuit, adverse designs; an assailant, pursuer or adversary); to avoid, save oneself from (a threatened evil or inconvenience); to elude (a blow), avoid encountering (an obstacle).
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., II. 246. No vther wa tha micht evaid his feid.
1607. Shaks., Cor., III. iii. 2. If he euade vs there.
1632. Massinger, City Madam, IV. ii. (1658), 56. You that … knew in your accompts, To cheat my brother, if you can evade me.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., I. xi. 48. Hee might evade the accomplishment of those afflictions, he now but gradually endureth.
1670. Milton, Hist. Eng., Wks. 1738, II. 16. Cæsar foreseeing that the Britains … would easily evade his Foot.
1703. Pope, Thebais, 680. The Nymph, her father’s anger to evade, Retires from Argos to the sylvan shade.
1807. Jas. Johnson, Orient. Voy., 218. Had we lain here … we should have evaded great part of the sickness.
1837. W. Irving, Capt. Bonneville, III. 117. The Crows were not to be evaded.
1866. Geo. Eliot, F. Holt, xxxvii. He evaded calamity by choosing privation.
1867. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), I. v. 384. The ships evaded the obstacle.
1885. Manch. Exam., 5 May, 5/1. A thief could evade capture by slipping out of one parish into another.
3. In various applied or extended uses.
a. To contrive to avoid (doing something); to ‘get out of’ performing (a duty), making (a payment), etc.
1722. De Foe, Moll Flanders (1840), 133. I always found something or other to say to evade the thing.
1802. Med. Jrnl., VIII. 139. A design to evade the duties.
1832. Ht. Martineau, Ireland, 111. The people have discovered a method of evading the payment.
1858. Froude, Hist. Eng., III. xiv. 265. Henry … desired at first to evade a duty in which he had little interest at any time.
1867. Lady Herbert, Cradle L., vii. 173. The sheykh evaded translating them [inscriptions from the Kurán].
b. To avoid giving a direct answer to (a question, request, charge); to put off (a questioner); to avoid or shirk the discussion of (an argument, a subject).
1604. Shaks., Oth., I. i. 13. He (as louing his owne pride, and purposes) Euades them … with Epithites of warre.
1677. Dryden, State of Innoc., III. i. Our question thou evad’st.
1771. Junius Lett., lxiii. 323. He evades the charge … by … poor contemptible quibbles.
1832. Ht. Martineau, Ella of Gar., vi. 70. He evaded all inquiries as to his plans.
1846. Trench, Mirac., xxxi. (1862), 437. Difficulties … such as we are bound to meet, and not to attempt to evade.
a. 1848. R. W. Hamilton, Rew. & Punishm., viii. (1853), 389. We have evaded no known argument and difficulty.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., III. 285. That question the Estates of Scotland could not evade.
c. To escape yielding to (an argument, claim or obligation), admitting (a conclusion), acknowledging (a fact), by means of sophistry.
1630. Prynne, Anti-Armin., 194–5. For feare our Arminians … should euade its force.
1664. H. More, Myst. Iniq., xii. 40. Nor can the demonstrativeness of this Reason be eluded or evaded.
1676. Stillingfl., Def. Disc. Rom. Idol., 318 (J.). My argument … so evidently overthrows all that he brings to evade the Testimonies of the Fathers.
1729. Butler, Serm., Wks. 1874, II. 89. Every moral obligation whatever may be evaded.
1754. Sherlock, Disc. (1759), I. i. 14. Can this Truth be evaded or denied?
1844. Ld. Brougham, Brit. Const., xii. (1862), 172. Edward endeavoured … to evade the force of the obligation.
d. To defeat the intention of (a law, stipulation, etc.), esp. by specious compliance with its letter.
1760. Goldsm., Cit. W., lxxx. The same degree of cunning … had taught the knave to evade the former statutes.
1815. Elphinstone, Acc. Caubul (1842), I. 285. Few decent Mussulmauns openly infringe a prohibition which it is so easy to evade.
1868. J. H. Blunt. Ref. Ch. Eng., I. 285. Processes … adopted for the sake of evading the principle.
1884. Law Rep. 25 Chanc. Div. 720. The object of the arrangement … was to evade the provisions of the Bankruptcy Act.
4. absol. or intr. To practise evasion.
1697. South, 12 Serm., I. 122 (J.). The Ministers of God are not to evade, or take refuge in any of these two forementioned ways.
1817. Jas. Mill, Brit. India, II. V. iv. 429. They evaded, procrastinated, and withheld rather than refused compliance with his desire.
1825. Macaulay, Milton, Ess. (1851), I. 17. He hesitates; he evades.
5. trans. Of things: To elude, baffle (efforts, vigilance, etc.).
1697. South, 12 Serm., I. 334 (J.). A contingent Event baffles mans knowledge, and evades his power.
1857. Whewell, Hist. Induct. Sc., I. IV. i. 188. These assertions … long evaded refutation.
1869. J. Martineau, Ess., II. 76. Some offences evade definition.
6. nonce-use. To go out of. Opposed to invade.
1725. in Hearne, Langtoft’s Chron., II. 442. Julius Cæsar having once and againe audaciously envaded, and as shamefully evaded, Britaine.
Hence Evader, one who evades; in the senses of the verb. Evading vbl. sb. and ppl. a. Also attrib. Evadingly adv., in an evading manner, evasively.
1754. Edwards, Freed. Will, IV. i. 194. The Race is at an End, but the Evader is taken in his Flight.
1824–9. Landor, Imag. Conv. (1846), II. 218. Evader!… glad am I that you have spoken the word.
1883. Ld. Brabazon, in 19th Cent., Nov., 802. Laws which can never be evaded without punishment swiftly falling on the head of the evader.
1669. in Magens, Insurances (1755), II. 618. For the evading of all Collusion and Suspicion … it is stipulated that [etc.].
1817. Byron, Beppo, xcvii. However, he got off by this evading.
1657. J. Sergeant, Schism Dispach’t, 256. To … leave an evading hole for the Dr. to say, afterwards [etc.].
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., IV. xi. 206. The wary and evading assertor.
1858. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt., II. V. vii. 127. Wolf, with bows down to the ground, answered always evadingly.
