alejar
/aleˈxaɾ/ · A2 · verb
to keep at a distance
🚀 a + lejos (far) + -ar: to make something go far away
Alejar is built on lejos, the Spanish word for far. The prefix a- plus a verb ending turns far into to make far. Its opposite works the same way: acercar comes from cerca (near), so alejar and acercar are a matched pair.