divagate

[dahy-vuh-geyt]

verb (used without object)

divagated, divagating 

1. to wander; stray.

2. to digress in speech.

divagate

/ ˈdaɪvəˌɡeɪt /

verb

1. rare,  (intr) to digress or wander

Other Word Forms

• divagation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of divagate¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin dīvagātus (past participle of dīvagārī “to wander off”), equivalent to dī- di- ² + vag- (stem of vagārī “to wander”) + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of divagate¹

C16: from Latin _di- ² + vagārī to wander

Example Sentences

It’s one thing to go public with concerns about corporate taxes or tariffs, quite another to divagate into divisive political issues such as global warming or anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

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"Egoism is merely another name for the expression of a vital need," he said, after the divagating pause, defining the word more for his own satisfaction than in self-defense.

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For a set scheduled to start at 10, the singer, who had spent much of the day divagating about what to wear onstage, appeared around midnight.

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And the upshot is that the theistic determinist is never merciful, whereas the rational determinist is at least under a logical compulsion to be so, however he may resist or divagate.

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If it can be done in prose—that is the puzzle—I divagate again.

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