obviate

== English == === Etymology 1 === First attested in 1567; borrowed from Latin obviātus, perfect passive participle of obviō (“to block, to hinder”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). ==== Pronunciation ==== (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɒb.viˌeɪt/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈab.viˌeɪt/ Hyphenation: ob‧vi‧ate ==== Verb ==== obviate (third-person singular simple present obviates, present participle obviating, simple past and past participle obviated) (transitive) To anticipate and prevent or bypass (something which would otherwise have been necessary or required); to render (something) unnecessary. (transitive) To avoid (a future problem or difficult situation). ===== Usage notes ===== Garner's Modern American Usage (2009) notes that phrases like obviate the necessity for X or obviate the need for X are sometimes considered redundant (for just obviate X), but "these phrases are not redundancies, for the true sense of obviate the necessity is 'to prevent the necessity (from arising),' hence to make unnecessary." Nonetheless, as with many other usage prescriptions, many careful writers and editors make sure to use the prescribed form anyway, knowing that not all their readers will be aware that the prescription is groundless. ===== Synonyms ===== ===== Antonyms ===== ===== Related terms ===== ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === Borrowed from Latin obviātus, see Etymology 1, -ate (noun-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). ==== Noun ==== obviate (plural obviates) (linguistics) Synonym of obviative. ==== Adjective ==== obviate (not comparable) (linguistics) Synonym of obviative. == Latin == === Pronunciation === (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ɔb.wiˈaː.tɛ] (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [ob.viˈaː.te] === Verb === obviāte second-person plural present active imperative of obviō == Spanish == === Verb === obviate second-person singular voseo imperative of obviar combined with te