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devious. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
devious, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
devious in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
devious you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
1590s, "out of the common or direct way," from Latin devius (“out of the way, remote, off the main road”), from de via, from de (“off”) (see de-) + via (“way, road”). Compare deviate. Originally in the Latin literal sense; the figurative sense of "deceitful" is first recorded 1630s. Related to deviously, deviousness. Figurative senses of the Latin word were "retired, sequestered, wandering in the byways, foolish, inconsistent."
Pronunciation
Adjective
devious (comparative more devious, superlative most devious)
- Cunning or deceiving, not straightforward or honest, not frank.
- Roundabout, circuitous, deviating from the direct or ordinary route.
1801, Robert Southey, “(please specify the page)”, in Thalaba the Destroyer, volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), London: or T N Longman and O Rees, , by Biggs and Cottle, , →OCLC:The wandering Arab never sets his tent
Within her walls; the Shepherd eyes afar
Her evil towers, and devious drives his flock.
1839, Frederick Marryat, The Phantom Ship:Keeping close in to the shore, they discovered, after two hours run, a fresh stream which burst in a cascade from the mountains, and swept its devious course through the jungle, until it poured its tribute into the waters of the Strait.
1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Epilogue”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:On the second day, a sail drew near, nearer, and picked me up at last. It was the devious-cruising Rachel, that in her retracing search after her missing children, only found another orphan.
Translations
cunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- Bulgarian: нече́стен (bg) (nečésten), неи́скрен (bg) (neískren)
- Dutch: heimelijk (nl), onoprecht (nl), kronkelend (nl)
- Finnish: kiero (fi), katala (fi), petollinen (fi)
- French: rusé (fr), roublard (fr) m, sournois (fr) m
- German: heimtückisch (de), hinterrücks (de), unaufrichtig (de), verschlagen (de), durchtrieben (de), hinterhältig (de), doppelzüngig (de), link (de)
- Russian: кова́рный (ru) (kovárnyj), нече́стный (ru) (nečéstnyj), неи́скренний (ru) (neískrennij), хи́трый (ru) (xítryj)
- Spanish: artero (es), taimado (es), engañoso (es)
- Turkish: sinsi (tr)
- Ukrainian: хитрий m (xytryj), підступний m (pidstupnyj)
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roundabout, circuitous, deviating
Translations to be checked