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DictionarydeviateDeparting from an expected course
verb / noun

deviate

DEE-vee-ayt/ˈdiːvieɪt/

To depart from an established course or norm.

We deviate from our usual route to avoid heavy traffic.

A walker turns off a straight paved footpath and heads diagonally across the grass.
Etymology
deLatinoff, away
+viLatinway, road
+ateLatinpast-participle ending

The pieces evoke turning off a road or away from the right way. That physical image extends to leaving an expected course of action or departing from a standard.

In context

Rochester Mineralogical Symposium14:56
real crystals deviate from the ideal form that these first three elements uh define
Crystallography Tutorials Part 3: Crystal Forms

More examples

  • The crew rarely deviates from the safety procedures.
  • I deviated from the recipe by adding extra garlic.
  • The old report unfairly labels anyone outside its norms a deviate.

Forms

deviate · deviates · deviated · deviating

deviation noun — A departure from an established course or standard.

Similar words

diverge
Emphasizes courses or views becoming different from one another.
stray
Often suggests leaving the intended course accidentally or carelessly.
depart
Can mean breaking with a custom, rule, or practice.