DEVIATION


Meaning of DEVIATION in English

ˌdēvēˈāshən noun

( -s )

Etymology: Late Latin deviation-, deviatio, from deviatus + Latin -ion-, -io -ion

: an act or instance of deviating : deflection , veering , divergence : as

a. : deflection of the needle of a compass caused by magnetic influences within the ship or airplane in which it is mounted

b. in the old Ptolemaic system : a motion of the deferent toward and from the ecliptic

c.

(1) : the divergence laterally unless otherwise stated of a projectile from the plane of departure caused by extraneous factors (as drift, wind)

(2) : the divergence of a projectile from the mean direction of a number of shots fired at the same target — called also deviation from the center of impact

(3) : the angular measurement between a burst and a target as measured from an observation post

d. : voluntary and unnecessary departure of a ship from the regular and usual course of a specific voyage, such departure releasing underwriters of insurance on the ship from further responsibility

e. : deflection 5a

f. : the algebraic difference found by subtracting some fixed number (as the arithmetic mean of a series of statistical data) from any item of the series

g. : evolutionary differentiation involving interpolation of new stages in the ancestral pattern of morphogenesis — compare anaboly , archallaxis

h. : departure from an established body of principles, a system of beliefs, an ideology, or a party line ; specifically : departure from strict Marxist doctrine

he was expelled from the Communist party for deviation

i. : noticeable or marked departure from accepted societal norms of behavior

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.