-kshən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin deflexin-, deflexio, from deflexus (past participle of deflectere ) + -ion-, -io -ion
1.
a. : a turning aside : the state of being turned aside : a turning from a straight line or given course : a bending especially downward : deviation especially of a shot from its true course
b. : a result of bending or turning away : curve , bend , turn , deviation
2. : the bending of one curve away from another or from a straight line
3.
a. : the deviation of the neutral axis (as of a beam or girder) under stress from its normal position
b. : the vertical distance between the points of suspension in a suspension bridge and the axis of the lowest part of the chain
4.
a. : the horizontal angle between the line of sighting and the axis of the bore of a gun
b. : a setting on the scale of a gunsight such that when the line of sighting is on the aiming point the piece is correctly laid for direction
5.
a. : the turning aside or bending of radiation from a straight course
deflection of light due to diffraction
deflection of an electron beam in a magnetic field
— called also deviation
b. : the angular departure of an indicator or pointer from the zero reading on a scale
deflection of an ammeter
6.
[ de- + in flection ]
: the loss of grammatical inflections