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To cause to turn aside; to bend; as, rays of light are often deflected. Sitting with their knees deflected under them. Lord (1630).

Capable of being deflected.

Turned aside; deviating from a direct line or course.

; a bending, esp. downward; deviation. The other leads to the same point, through certain deflections. Lowth.

The act of freeing from inflections. Earle.

To free from inflections. Deflectionized languages are said to be analytic. Earle.

Causing deflection. Deflective forces, forces that cause a body to deviate from its course.

That which deflects, as a diaphragm in a furnace, or a come in a lamp (to deflect and mingle air and gases and help combustion).

rhaps particles of helium) having enormous velocities but small masses. They are slightly deflected by a strong magnetic or electric field.

the end of a lever. -- Ball gudgeon, a pivot of a spherical form, which permits lateral deflection of the arbor or shaft, while retaining the pivot in its socket. Knight. -- Ball lever, the lever used in a ball cock. -- Ball of the eye, the eye itself, as distinguished from its lids and socket; -- formerly, the pup…

A turn or deflection from a straight line or from the proper direction or normal position; a curve; a crook; as, a slight bend of the body; a bend in a road.

Penetrating rays readily deflected by a magnetic or electric field, emitted by radioactive substances, as radium. They consist of negatively charged particles or electrons, apparently the same in kind as those of the cathode rays, but having much higher velocities (about 35,000 to 180,000 miles per second).…

A low wall or vertical partition in the fire chamber of a furnace, for deflecting flame, etc.; -- usually called a bridge wall. Aqueduct bridge. See Aqueduct. -- Asses' bridge, Bascule bridge, Bateau bridge. See under Ass, Bascule, Bateau. -- Bridge of a steamer (Naut.), a narrow platform across the deck, above the r…

shed by the title of casuistry. Stewart. Casuistry in the science of cases (i.e., oblique deflections from the general rule). De Quincey.

lvanometers and other instruments in which the needle or index moves to the extent of its deflection and stops with little or no further oscillation. Deadbeat escapement. See under Escapement.

See Deflection.

A bending or turning aside; deflection. Bailey.

To break or separate into parts; to deflect, or decompose by deflection, a

The deflection and decomposition of light in passing by the edges of opaque bodies or through narrow slits, causing the appearance of parallel bands or fringes of prismatic colors, as by the action of a grating of fine lines or bars. Remarked by Grimaldi (1665), and referred by him to a property of light which he calle…

To turn aside; to turn off from any course or intended application; to deflect; as, to divert a river from its channel; to divert commerce from its usual course. That crude apple that diverted Eve. Milton.