[lbo-talk] Divigate/Divagation in the OED

Carrol Cox cbcox at ilstu.edu
Fri Apr 18 12:35:55 PDT 2003


_Divagate_ intr. To wander about; to stray from one place or subject to another.

1599 A. M. tr. Gabelhouer's Bk. Physicke 203/1 [A prescription] agaynste divagatinge payne. 1852 Fraser's Mag. XLV. 171 Sir James had divagated into the question of Eternal Punishment. 1892 STEVENSON Across the Plains vi. 200 So does a child's balloon divagate upon the currents of the air.

_Divagation_ The action of divagating; a wandering or straying away or about: deviation; digression.

1560 Bk. Discipl. Ch. Scot. ix. (1621) 59 This skipping and divagation from place to place of Scripture. 1664 H. MORE Myst. Iniq. II. I. xi. 272 That the phancy may make no divagation. 1855 Ess. Intuit. Mor. 149 The illogical divagations of their adherents. 1881 Sat. Rev. 1 Jan. 13 Her divagations from the proper purpose of her life will be forgotten. 1883 STEVENSON Silverado Sq. ii. 78 With that vile lad to head them off on idle divagations.

Most university libraries will have a subscription to the OED on line. That gives you access not only to all of the 2d edition but as much of the 3d edition as is completed.

Carrol



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