DIGRESS

digress, stray, divagate, wander

(verb) lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking; “She always digresses when telling a story”; “her mind wanders”; “Don’t digress when you give a lecture”

sidetrack, depart, digress, straggle

(verb) wander from a direct or straight course

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Verb

digress (third-person singular simple present digresses, present participle digressing, simple past and past participle digressed)

(intransitive) To step or turn aside; to deviate; to swerve; especially, to turn aside from the main subject of attention, or course of argument, in writing or speaking.

(intransitive) To turn aside from the right path; to transgress; to offend.

Usage notes

Often heard in the set phrase But I digress, where the word behaves as a stative verb, whereas it otherwise patterns as a dynamic verb.

Synonyms

• (turn from the course of argument): sidetrack

Source: Wiktionary

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Di*gress", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Digressed; p. pr. & vb. n. Digressing.] Etym: [L. digressus, p. p. of digredi to go apart, to deviate; di- = dis- + gradi to step, walk. See Grade.]

1. To step or turn aside; to deviate; to swerve; especially, to turn aside from the main subject of attention, or course of argument, in writing or speaking. Moreover she beginneth to digress in latitude. Holland. In the pursuit of an argument there is hardly room to digress into a particular definition as often as a man varies the signification of any term. Locke.

2. To turn aside from the right path; to transgress; to offend. [R.] Thy abundant goodness shall excuse This deadly blot on thy digressing son. Shak.

Di*gress", n.

Definition: Digression. [Obs.] Fuller.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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