Deeper Dive: away

away adverb [AS. aweg, anweg, onweg; on on + weg way.]

1. From a place; hence.
The sound is going away. Shak.

Have me away, for I am sore wounded. 2 Chron. xxxv. 23.
2. Absent; gone; at a distance; as, the master is away from home.

3. Aside; off; in another direction.
The axis of rotation is inclined away from the sun. Lockyer.
4. From a state or condition of being; out of existence.
Be near me when I fade away. Tennyson.
5. By ellipsis of the verb, equivalent to an imperative: Go or come away; begone; take away.
And the Lord said . . . Away, get thee down. Exod. xix. 24.
6. On; in continuance; without intermission or delay; as, sing away. [Colloq.]

☞ It is much used in phrases signifying moving or going from; as, go away, run away, etc.; all signifying departure, or separation to a distance. Sometimes without the verb; as, whither away so fast ?
“Love hath wings, and will away.” Waller.
It serves to modify the sense of certain verbs by adding that of removal, loss, parting with, etc.; as, to throw away; to trifle away; to squander away, etc. Sometimes it has merely an intensive force; as, to blaze away.

Away with bear, abide [Obs. or Archaic]
“The calling of assemblies, I can not away with.” (Isa. i. 13), i. e., “I can not bear or endure [it].”
Away with
one, signifies, take him away.
“Away with him, crucify him.” John xix. 15.
To make away with
(a) To kill or destroy.

(b) To carry off.


-- Webster's unabridged 1913





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