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di·ver·sion (dĭ-vûrzhən, dī-)
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n.
1. The act or an instance of diverting or turning aside; deviation.
2. Something that distracts the mind and relaxes or entertains.
3. A maneuver that draws the attention of an opponent away from a planned point of action, especially as part of military strategy.
4. A policy or practice permitting a juvenile to be removed from traditional processing in juvenile court and placed in a program involving an alternative disposition, such as treatment or rehabilitation services.

[Late Latin dīversiō, dīversiōn-, act of turning aside, from Latin dīversus, past participle of dīvertere, to divert; see DIVERT.]

di·version·ary adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.