Dictionary

digress en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio
• /daɪˈɡɹɛs/
• /dɪˈɡɹɛs/
• (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ▲ Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ-der. Latin gradior Latin dīgredior Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin dīgressus Latin dīgressumder. English digress From Latin digressum, past participle of digredi.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To step or turn aside; to deviate; to swerve; especially, to turn aside from the main subject of attention, or course of argument, in writing or speaking.
   • Moreover she beginneth to digress in latitude. 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “(please specify |book=I to XXXVII)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], (please specify |tome=1 or 2), London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:
   • In the pursuit of an argument there is hardly room to digress into a particular definition as often as a man varies the signification of any term. 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 3, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC:
   • […] For I hadn't had so much fun since the day / my brother's dog Rover / got run over. / (Rover was killed by a Pontiac. And it was done with such grace and artistry that the witnesses awarded the driver both ears and the tail – but I digress.) 1959, “In Old Mexico”, Tom Lehrer (music):
2. (intransitive) To turn aside from the right path; to transgress; to offend.
   • Thy overflow of good converts to bad; And thy abundant goodness shall excuse This deadly blot in thy digressing son. 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act 5, scene 3]:

Forms

Antonyms

recur (turn from the course of argument)

Deriveds

digressingly · redigress

Relateds

digressive · excursive · digression

Synonyms

stray (turn from the course of argument) · divagate (turn from the course of argument) · sidetrack (turn from the course of argument)

Translations (43)

es irse por una digresión/disquisición (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · ca desviar-se (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · pl odbiec (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · hu elkalandozik (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · sh застранити (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · yi פאַררעדן זיך (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · bg отклонявам се (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · sh скренути (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · fi poiketa (aiheesta) (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · es divagar (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · it divagare (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · ro ofensa (to transgress) · es prolijear (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · de abgehen (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · mi kāwekaweka (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · sl kreniti vstran (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · pt divagar (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · fr dévier (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · fr s'écarter (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · ru отступа́ть (to transgress) · io digresar (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · fr digresser (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · sh одступити (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · ru отвлекаться (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · es elucubrar (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · de ausschweifen (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · hy շեղվել (to transgress) · sh odstupiti (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · hy շեղվել (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · eo deflankiĝi (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · gl divagar (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · fi eksyä (aiheesta) (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · pl odbiegać (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · nl afdwalen (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · sh skrenuti (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · sh zastraniti (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · sl oddaljiti se (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · ro devia (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · gd rach a thaobh (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · de abschweifen (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · hu eltér a tárgytól (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · ru отклоня́ться (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate) · cs odbíhat (to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate)