Avast
/əˈvæst/noun
A nautical command meaning stop or hold still.
Did you know?Avast is a real nautical imperative that likely came through Dutch or Low German seafaring speech, and it became famous in pirate talk long before modern pop culture turned it into a dramatic command.
Etymological Timeline
Early Modern Period
Dutch/Low German
hou vast
“hold fast; hold on tight”
17th Century
English
avast
“a shipboard command to stop or cease what one is doing”
18th Century
English
avast
“standardized as a seafaring order in naval and pirate speech”
Modern English
English
avast
“a literary or theatrical nautical command meaning stop”