What does deflectional mean?
Deflectional is an adjective meaning related to deflection: a bending, turning aside, deviation from an expected course, or diversion from a usual direction or purpose. Because deflection can describe physical movement as well as changes in speech, abstract deviations, or the diversion of attention, the adjective is correspondingly broad but relatively uncommon. It is most likely to appear in formal or technical writing, where it identifies a phenomenon as involving or characterized by deflection rather than describing only the object that has been deflected. For example, one can discuss the deflectional behavior of a beam or the deflectional effects produced by an optical system. The word belongs to a productive family centered on deflect and deflection, including the related adjective deflective and the noun deflector. Unlike the more everyday deflected, which usually indicates that something has already been turned aside, deflectional refers more generally to the relevant process or phenomenon.
adjectiveRelating to deflection; involving a turning aside, bending, deviation, or diversion from a usual path or course.
- Relating to or involving deflection.
"The instrument recorded the deflectional behavior of the beam under different loads."
"The instrument recorded the deflectional behavior of the beam under different loads."
"The report gives special attention to deflectional effects in the optical system."
Deflectional names the category of behavior when a path, signal, or argument bends away from its expected course.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does deflectional come from?
Deflectional was formed in English from the noun deflection by adding the adjective-forming suffix -al. The word belongs to a family tracing to Latin deflectere, meaning “to bend aside” or “to turn away,” with the related Latin noun deflexio denoting a bending or turning aside. The same root produced English forms such as deflect, deflection, deflective, and deflector.
How deflectional is actually used
Rare and chiefly encountered in formal or technical writing rather than everyday speech. It is broader than the participial adjective deflected, which normally describes something already turned aside.
Easily confused with deflectional
Deflectional describes something relating to the process or phenomenon of deflection, whereas deflected describes something that has already been turned aside.