Divagate
/ˈdɪv.ə.ɡeɪt/noun
To wander away from a course, subject, or point; to digress.
Did you know?Divagate is built from Latin dis- (“apart”) + vagari (“to wander”), and that wandering root also gives us words like vagabond and vague — language that still carries the feeling of drifting off the path.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
dīvagārī
“to wander about, stray from a path or subject”
Latin
Latin
dis- + vagārī
“apart + to wander”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weǵʰ-
“to go, move, travel”
16th Century
English
divagate
“to wander or stray away from a course or subject”
Modern English
English
divagate
“to digress or wander from the main point”
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