deviation

[dee-vee-ey-shuh n] /ˌdi viˈeɪ ʃən/
noun
1.
the act of deviating.
2.
departure from a standard or norm.
3.
Statistics. the difference between one of a set of values and some fixed value, usually the mean of the set.
4.
Navigation. the error of a magnetic compass, as that of a ship, on a given heading as a result of local magnetism.
Compare variation (def 8).
5.
Optics.
  1. Also called deflection. the bending of rays of light away from a straight line.
  2. angle of deviation.
6.
departure or divergence from an established dogma or ideology, especially a Communist one.
Origin
1375-1425; late Middle English (< Middle French) < Medieval Latin dēviātiōn- (stem of dēviātiō), equivalent to Late Latin dēviāt(us) (see deviate) + -iōn- -ion
Related forms
deviatory
[dee-vee-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ˈdi vi əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/ (Show IPA), deviative, adjective
nondeviation, noun
Examples from the web for deviation
  • Second, it is also possible to transform the data, depending on the deviation.
  • Smaller population sizes, of course, increase the standard deviation of the averages distribution.
  • The deviation in distance of luminosity vs redshift is exactly what you should expect from an expanding universe.
  • The main arguments it takes are the average and the standard deviation of the distribution you want.
  • It does so without complaints, questions or erroneous deviation from the text.
  • The summer deviation below trend has become a late-year deviation above trend.
  • Obviously, a government inevitably creates a deviation from this stable state.
  • Each small deviation from the plan ripples through the rest of the spreadsheet.
  • Indeed, they regard tribal custom as a deviation from sharia law.
  • In fact, these writers seem to have two distinct kinds of intellectual deviation in view, the second more serious than the first.
British Dictionary definitions for deviation

deviation

/ˌdiːvɪˈeɪʃən/
noun
1.
an act or result of deviating
2.
(statistics) the difference between an observed value in a series of such values and their arithmetic mean
3.
the error of a compass due to local magnetic disturbances
Word Origin and History for deviation
n.

1640s, noun of action from deviate (v.). Statistical sense is from 1858. Related: Deviational.

deviation in Medicine

deviation de·vi·a·tion (dē'vē-ā'shən)
n.

  1. A turning away or aside from a normal course.

  2. An abnormality.

  3. Deviant behavior or attitudes.

  4. The difference, especially the absolute difference, between one number in a set and the mean of the set.

deviation in Science
deviation
  (dē'vē-ā'shən)   
The difference between one number in a set and the mean of the set.