desist vs avoid

desist and avoid both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
desist	No	No	Yes	No
avoid	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, avoid is a hyponym of desist; that is, avoid is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than desist:

Other hyponyms of desist include fast, fast, keep off, teetotal.

desist (verb)	avoid (verb)
choose not to consume	stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
	refrain from certain foods or beverages
	declare invalid
	prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; to protect from or to keep away anything undesirable; to ward off
	refrain from doing something