Medical Dictionary
Main Entry:
avoid·ance Pronunciation:
&-'void-&n(t)s Function:
noun often attributive : the act or practice of keeping awayfrom or withdrawing from something undesirable
avoidance of electric shock —E.S. Katkin & E.N. Murray> <avoidance learning>;especially : an anticipatory response undertaken to avoid a noxious stimulus avoidance in mice>