I. ˈdē-vē-ˌāt verb
( -at·ed ; -at·ing )
Etymology: Late Latin deviatus, past participle of deviare, from Latin de- + via way — more at way
Date: circa 1633
intransitive verb
1. : to stray especially from a standard, principle, or topic
2. : to depart from an established course or norm
a flight forced by weather to deviate south
transitive verb
: to cause to turn out of a previous course
Synonyms: see swerve
• de·vi·a·tor -ˌā-tər noun
• de·vi·a·to·ry -ə-ˌtȯr-ē adjective
II. -vē-ət, -vē-ˌāt noun
Date: 1912
1. : one that deviates from a norm ; especially : a person who differs markedly from a group norm
2. : a statistical variable that gives the deviation of another variable from a fixed value (as the mean)
III. -vē-ət, -vē-ˌāt adjective
Date: 1929
: departing significantly from the behavioral norms of a particular society
deviate behavior