a·vast

[uh-vast, uh-vahst]
verb (imperative) Nautical.
(used as a command to stop or cease): Avast heaving!
Origin:
1675–85; perhaps < Dutch houd vast hold fast (see hold1, fast1)

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
avast (əˈvɑːst) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—sentence substitute
nautical stop! cease!
 
[C17: perhaps from Dutch hou'vast hold fast]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Avast is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

avast
1680s, a nautical interjection, "hold! stop!" probably worn down from Du. houd vast "hold fast."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Before its enactment, consumers were faced with avast array of credit terms and rates.
The past fifty years have seen the development of avast free market capital raising mechanism, based upon investor confidence.
Collectively, they possess avast array of knowledge based on experience.
The scope of the journal covers avast range of crops and research disciplines.
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