deviate

Deviate is a verb meaning to depart from an established course, path, or standard, or to differ from what is typical or expected. It can refer to physical movement away from a route, as when a vehicle deviates from its planned course, or to a departure from rules or plans in more abstract contexts. The noun form is deviation, while deviating describes the ongoing action. The related adjective deviant can describe people, behavior, or norms that diverge from what is considered typical.

Etymology: the word comes from Latin deviare, meaning to turn aside, from de- “away” + via “way” or “path.”

Usage: Deviate is common in both everyday language and formal writing. Examples: "The train deviated from its timetable," or "The explorer deviated from the map to investigate a landmark." In science and statistics, deviation expresses how far a value lies from a reference point, such as a mean. The term appears in phrases like “deviations from the mean.” Standard deviation is a specific statistical measure that summarizes the dispersion of a data set, and is related but distinct from the general idea of deviation.

Connotation: Deviate can be purely descriptive, but it may carry implications of nonconformity or rule-breaking in social contexts. It is contrasted with terms such as conform, adhere, and follow.

---