Definition of "deviation" []

• The act of deviating or turning aside. (noun)
• An abnormality; a departure: "Vice was a deviation from our nature” ( Henry Fielding). (noun)
• Deviant behavior or attitudes. (noun)
• Divergence from an accepted political policy or party line. (noun)
• Deflection of a compass needle caused by local magnetic influence, especially on a ship. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "* The standard deviation is defined as the square root of the variance, which gives the average squared deviation from the mean value of a series."
• "I understood that, but = perhaps due to my linguistic ignorance - to me all differences in usage or pronounciation are to be attributed to some kind of deviation from the "model" of correct use."
• ""Hip-hop is very conservative – the smallest deviation from the norm is dismissed," says Juzwiak."