Digress

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /daɪˈɡɹɛs/

Definitions

1. To stray from the main topic or subject in speech or writing
2. To move away from the central theme in dialogue or written work while exploring related ideas or anecdotes
3. To turn away from the principal topic during speech or writing as a brief detour

Etymology: "Digress" comes from Latin "digredi," meaning to step apart or go off in different directions. The verb combines "dis-," meaning apart or away, with "gradi," to walk or step, the same root that gives English "grade," "gradual" and "progress." So at its core, the word is a picture of a walker leaving the road. English took the word from the past participle "digressum," and its sense has stayed close to that physical image. Whether the path is a road or a line of argument, to digress is to step off it for a while, usually with the expectation of returning. A lecturer who wanders into a story about a childhood trip is, in this sense, still walking the same ground, just by a side route.

Synonyms: diverge, wander, ramble, stray, depart

Antonyms: converge, focus, stick