deviate
- 01 C2 Proficiency
the difference between a measured number and the average or expected number.
the difference between an observed value and a reference value, such as the mean. Used primarily in quantitative analysis.
Simple“The scientist calculated the deviate to see how far the result was from the average.”
In context“In this statistical model, each deviate must be squared to ensure that negative values do not cancel out the positive ones during the final calculation.”
Synonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
a person whose behavior is very different from what society considers normal.
a person whose attitudes or behavior depart from established social or moral norms. Often carries a negative or clinical connotation.
Simple“In the past, anyone who did not follow local traditions was labeled a deviate.”
In context“The sociological study examined how the community identifies and subsequently isolates individuals perceived as social deviates.”
Teacher's tipIn modern casual English, 'deviant' is much more common as a noun than 'deviate'.
“It also claimed the convoy had deviated from the route that had been coordinated with the military.”
“These include whether it deviates from a perfect sphere, and whether the black hole has any additional properties beyond spin that influence its behavior.”
From Late Latin dēviātus, perfect passive participle of dēviō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more. Compare French dévier.
From a substantivation of Late Latin dēviātus, see Etymology 1 and -ate (noun-forming suffix) for more.
From Late Latin dēviātus, see Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.