deviation: Meaning and Definition of

de•vi•a•tion

1. the act of deviating.
2. departure from a standard or norm.
3. the difference between one of a set of values and some fixed value, usually the mean of the set.
4. the error of a magnetic compass, as that of a ship, on a given heading as a result of local magnetism. Cf. variation (def. 8).
1. Also calleddeflection.the bending of rays of light away from a straight line.
2. Seeangle of deviation.
6. departure or divergence from an established dogma or ideology, esp. a Communist one.