Digression

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /dʌɪˈɡɹɛʃən/

Definitions

1. A temporary departure from the main subject or topic in speech or writing
2. A deviation from the primary focus or main idea in written or spoken discourse
3. A brief interruption that moves away from the central subject while speaking or writing

Etymology: The Latin verb "dīgredī" meant "to step away" or "to go off in a different direction," and it was built from "dis-", meaning "apart," plus "gradī," "to step or walk." Its noun form, "dīgressiō," gave us a word for leaving the straight path, and that is still what the word does today: when a speaker wanders off the main subject, the wandering is the digression. The idea is literal walking before it is conversation. The word reached English by way of Old French, which offered "digressiun" and "disgressiun" in the Middle Ages. The spelling with "di-" was the one that stuck, and the English word has kept its original sense of stepping aside from a path, so a digression is always a departure from a route the speaker meant to follow.

Synonyms: deviation, diversion, tangent

Antonyms: concentration, focus