Deflect

How to spell deflect

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce deflect

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does deflect mean?

1. verbTo turn something aside from its course, or to divert attention or blame away from oneself.

Deflect in a sentence

• The goalkeeper managed to deflect the shot over the bar.

• Politicians often try to deflect blame onto their predecessors.

Where does deflect come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin deflectere, which combined the prefix de-, meaning 'away' or 'aside', with the verb flectere, meaning 'to bend'. The literal sense was therefore 'to bend away', and that physical image of turning something off its straight course survives in every modern use, whether a shield turns aside a blow or a reply turns aside a question. English adopted it in the sixteenth century, at first in the very concrete sense of causing something to swerve from a path. The same flectere root shows up in a whole family of relatives, including 'reflect' (bend back), 'inflect' (bend in), and 'flexible' (able to be bent), so remembering that the middle is 'flect', not 'flict', is easier if you picture light bending. The figurative use, deflecting blame or criticism, grew naturally out of the idea of steering something away from yourself.

How the word is built

• de- (away, aside)
• flect (from flectere: to bend)