Deviate
/ˈdiː.vi.eɪt/noun
To turn aside from a path, norm, or expected course.
Did you know?It comes from Latin de- (“away”) + via (“road”), so its oldest sense is basically “to go off the road,” a perfect image for breaking from the approved path.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wegh-
“to go, move, travel”
Latin
Latin
via
“road, way, path”
Latin
Latin
deviāre
“to go out of the way, turn aside”
Late Latin
Latin
deviatus
“turned aside, diverted”
16th Century
English
deviate
“to turn aside from a path or course”
Modern English
English
deviate
“to depart from an accepted standard or norm”