devious

Meaning

  1. Cunning or deceiving, not straightforward or honest, not frank.
  2. Roundabout, circuitous, deviating from the direct or ordinary route.

Frequency

C2
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈdiː.vi.əs/
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."

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