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devious
Definitions
[ˈdiːvɪəs], (Adjective)
Definitions:
- showing a skilful use of underhand tactics to achieve goals
(e.g: he's as devious as a politician needs to be)
- (of a route or journey) longer and less direct than the most straightforward way
(e.g: they arrived at the town by a devious route)
Phrases:
Origin
:
late 16th century: from Latin devius (from de- ‘away from’ + via ‘way’) + -ous. The original sense was ‘remote’; the later sense ‘departing from the direct route’ gave rise to the figurative sense ‘deviating from the straight way’ and hence ‘skilled in underhand tactics’
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definition by Oxford Dictionaries