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Origin and history of divert

divert(v.)

early 15c., diverten, "change the direction or course of; change the aim or destination of, turn aside or away" (transitive), from Old French divertir (14c.) and directly from Latin divertere "to turn in different directions," blended with devertere "turn aside," from vertere "to turn" (from PIE root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend") with, in the first word, an assimilated form of dis- "aside," and in the second with de- "from."

Sense of "draw off (someone) from a particular intention or state of mind" is from c. 1600, hence the meaning "amuse, entertain" (1660s). Related: Diverted; diverting.

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to divert

disport(v.)

late 14c., disporten, "to divert (from sadness or ennui), cheer, amuse gaily," from Anglo-French disporter "divert, amuse," Old French desporter "to seek amusement," literally "carry away" (the mind from serious matters), from des- "away" (see dis-) + porter "to carry," from Latin portare "to carry" (from PIE root *per- (2) "to lead, pass over").

Compare disporter "a minstrel or jester" (early 15c.), also Latin deportare "to carry away, transport," in Medieval Latin also "divert, amuse." For a similar sense evolution, compare distract, divert, transport (v.). Intransitive sense of "to play, sport" is from late 14c.

diversion(n.)

early 15c., diversioun, "process of diverting," from Medieval Latin diversionem (nominative diversio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin divertere (see divert).

Meaning "act of turning aside from a course of action" is from c. 1600; that of "act of diverting (something) from its due or ordinary course" is from 1620s. Military meaning "act of drawing the attention and force of the enemy from the point where the principal attack is to be made" is from 1640s.

Sense of "amusement, entertainment" is attested by 1640s, on the notion of "that which diverts the mind." Hence, divertimento (1823), from the Italian form; originally "a musical composition designed primarily for entertainment."

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Trends of divert

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to explore

diversity
mid-14c., diversite, "variety, diverseness;" late 14c., "quality of being diverse, fact of difference between two or more things or kinds; variety; separateness; that in which two or more things differ," mostly in a neutral sense, from Old French diversete "difference, diversity,
divorce
late 14c., "legal dissolution of the bond of marriage," from Old French divorce (14c.), from Latin divortium "separation, dissolution of marriage," from divertere "to separate, leave one's husband, turn aside" (see divert). Not distinguished in English from legal separation until
deviate
1630s, "turn aside or wander from the (right) way," from Late Latin deviatus, past participle of deviare "to turn aside, turn out of the way," from Latin phrase de via, from de "off" (see de-) + via "way" (see via). Meaning "take a different course, diverge, differ" is from 1690s
amuse
late 15c., "to divert the attention, beguile, delude," from Old French amuser "fool, tease, hoax, entrap; make fun of," literally...The original English senses are obsolete; the meaning "divert from serious business, tickle the fancy of" is recorded from...
phenomenal
To divert it from this proper use to a job for which it is not needed, by making it do duty for remarkable, extraordinary...
switch
Sense of "shift, divert" is from 1860. Meaning "to change one thing for another" is recorded from 1919....
abstraction
(nominative abstractio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin abstrahere "to drag away, detach, pull away, divert...
straggle
early 15c., stragelen, "wander from the proper path; rove from one's companions, become separated; move about without fixed direction or purpose," a word of uncertain etymology but ultimately from a Germanic "go, move" word (cognate with Middle Low German straken, Old High German
outer
"that is farther out, that is exterior or external; of or pertaining to the outside; further removed," late 14c., comparative of out (on analogy of inner), replacing by 18c. forms descended from Old English uttera (comparative of Old English ut "out") which developed into utter (
route
c. 1200, "a way, a road, space for passage," from Old French rute "road, way, path" (12c.), from Latin rupta (via) "(a road) opened by force," broken or cut through a forest, etc., from rupta, fem. past participle of rumpere "to break" (see rupture (n.)). The sense of "fixed or r

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Dictionary entries near divert
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