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digress

[dih-gres, dahy-]
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verb (used without object)

to deviate or wander away from the main topic or purpose in speaking or writing; depart from the principal line of argument, plot, study, etc.
Archaic. to turn aside.

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RELATED WORDS

meander, swerve, depart, ramble, veer, drift, divagate, roam, wander

Nearby words

  1. digoneutic,
  2. digoxin,
  3. digram,
  4. digraph,
  5. digraphic,
  6. digression,
  7. digressive,
  8. digressively,
  9. digs,
  10. dihedral

Origin of digress

1520–30; < Latin dīgressus, past participle of dīgredī “to go off, depart, digress,” equivalent to dī- di-2 + -gredī, combining form of gradī “to go”; cf. grade
Related formsdi·gress·er, noundi·gress·ing·ly, adverbre·di·gress, verb (used without object)
Can be confuseddigress diverge

Synonym study

1. See deviate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for digress

British Dictionary definitions for digress

digress

verb (intr)

to depart from the main subject in speech or writing
to wander from one's path or main direction
Derived Formsdigresser, noun

Word Origin for digress

C16: from Latin dīgressus turned aside, from dīgredī, from dis- apart + gradī to go
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for digress

digress

v.

1520s, from Latin digressus, past participle of digredi "to go aside, depart" (see digression), or perhaps a back-formation from digression. Related: Digressed; digressing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper