détour

Détour is a French noun with two primary senses. It denotes a deviation from a direct or planned route in travel, as when a driver or pedestrian takes a longer path around an obstacle. It also designates a digression or excursion in speech or writing, where the subject temporarily moves away from the main thread.

In transportation and navigation, a detour may be temporary, such as during road work or an accident, and is typically indicated by signage reading détour and showing an alternate route and distance.

Etymology: The word comes from Old French detour, itself from tourner to turn, with de- conveying away. The term can be used in the singular détour or the plural détours.

In literature and rhetoric, a détour is a deliberate or incidental turn away from the main topic, used to provide background, develop themes, or illustrate a point before returning to the principal argument.

In legal or financial contexts, the related noun détournement refers to misappropriation or embezzlement, not a detour of a path or a digression.

Examples: "Nous avons dû prendre un détour par la ville." "Le roman fait un détour sur l'enfance avant de revenir à l'intrigue principale."

Synonyms include déviation, détour, excursion, digression; in English, detour or digression.