digression means an aside, an act of straying from the main subject in speech or writing.
digression is pronounced /dʌɪˈɡɹɛʃən/.
Why “digression” is a great word
A temporary departure from the main subject in speech or writing, often for rhetorical effect. From Old French *digressiun*, from Latin *dīgressiōnem* ("a departure"), from *dīgressus*, past participle of *dīgredī* ("to step away, to digress"), from *dis-* ("apart") + *gradī* ("to step, walk, go"), first recorded in English 1325–75. Unlike a "tangent," which implies a sudden, uncontrolled swerve, or an "aside," a brief theatrical detour, a digression is a deliberate and measured wandering. It is the orator pausing to tell an anecdote under an old oak, the essayist meandering down a footnote into a forgotten century, or the late-night conversation that veers from politics to the scent of rain on hot pavement—each a conscious step off the path, trusting that the scenic route often reveals the truest terrain.
Etymology
From Old French digressiun or disgressiun, from Latin dīgressiōnem, from dīgressus + -iō (suffix forming abstract nouns from verbs), the past passive participle of dīgredior (“to step away, to digress”), from dis- + gradior (“to step, walk, go”).
noun
- An aside, an act of straying from the main subject in speech or writing.e.g.“The lectures included lengthy digressions on topics ranging from the professor's dog to the meaning of life.”
- The act of straying from the main subject in speech or writing, (rhetoric) particularly for rhetorical effect.e.g.“make digression... by way of digression...”
- A deviancy, a sin or error, an act of straying from the path of righteousness or a general rule.e.g.“Nature...
More stronger hadde her operacyon
Than she hath nowe in her dygressyon.”
- A deviation, an act of straying from a path.e.g.“By this little digression into Gascony, the Duke had an opportunity... to re-inforce himself with some particular Servants of his.”
- An elongation, a deflection or deviation from a mean position or expected path.e.g.“This digression [of the Sun] is not equall, but neare the Æquinoxiall intersections, it is right and greater, near the Solstices, more oblique and lesser.”
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