Deviate

Word of the day, 9th March 2015

A quick one for today:

Deviate /ˈdiːvɪˌeɪt/ (verb) To differ or diverge; to turn aside.  Or to cause (someone or something) to do any of these.
I had to deviate to avoid the traffic jam.
Don’t deviate from the topic of your presentation.

The noun or adjective, spelled the same but pronounced /ˈdiːvɪət/, is an old-fashioned word for a “deviant” /ˈdiːvɪənt/, which is someone who “deviates from what is considered to be acceptable behaviour.

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