Deflect
/dɪˈflɛkt/noun
To cause something to change direction or to turn away from a straight course.
Did you know?Deflect comes from Latin de- (“away”) + flectere (“to bend”), and that same ancient bending-root also hides inside words like flexible and inflect.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰlegʰ-
“to bend, curve”
Latin
Latin
flectere
“to bend, turn”
Latin
Latin
dēflectere
“to bend away, turn aside”
Late Middle English
English
deflecten
“to turn aside or away”
Modern English
English
deflect
“to turn aside, divert, or cause to deviate from a course”
Explore more surprising origins