diverted

Diverted is the past tense and past participle of the verb divert. It describes something redirected away from its original course or purpose, or a person’s attention turned elsewhere. As an adjective, it appears in phrases such as diverted traffic or diverted funds.

Etymology: Divert comes from Latin divertere 'to turn aside,' through Old French divertir and Middle English. The core sense—turning something away from its expected path—remains in modern use.

Common contexts include transportation, where traffic is diverted around construction or incidents; finance or administration, where funds or resources are diverted to different programs; and utilities or law, where streams, water, or other flows are redirected. In everyday language, diverted attention or diverted interest refers to shifting focus from one subject to another.

Notes: Diverted differs from diversion (the act of diverting or something that attracts attention) and from redirect or reroute as verbs. It is typically used with nouns such as traffic, funds, attention, or rivers.