detour

See also: détour

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French détour, from détourner (“turn away”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdiː.tʊə(ɹ)/, /ˈdiː.tɔː(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdi.toɹ/

Noun

detour (plural detours)

1. A diversion or deviation from one's original route.
   • 1918 September–November, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Land That Time Forgot”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., →OCLC; republished as chapter IX, in Hugo Gernsback, editor, Amazing Stories, (please specify |part=I to III), New York, N.Y.: Experimenter Publishing, 1927, →OCLC:

     On the third day I made a detour westward to avoid the country of the Band-lu, as I did not care to be detained by a meeting with To-jo.

   • 2019 February 27, Drachinifel, 29:50 from the start, in The Battle of Samar - Odds? What are those?‎^[1], archived from the original on 3 November 2022:

     Of course the Johnston swings around to engage the entire flotilla, and, despite taking several more hits, Johnston successfully forces away the first two ships, which leads to the entire squadron taking a detour to avoid the single pugnacious ship.

2. An temporary alternative route available to motorists away from the usual route due to a closure for repairs, dealing with an accident, or some event rendering the usual route unusable.

Derived terms

• equal detour point

Translations

diversion or deviation

• Bulgarian: отклонение (bg) n (otklonenie), заобикаляне (bg) n (zaobikaljane), обиколка (bg) f (obikolka)
• Catalan: marrada (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 彎路／弯路 (waan¹ lou⁶) (figuratively)

  Hakka: 彎路／弯路 (vân-lu)

  Mandarin: 繞行／绕行 (zh) (ràoxíng), 彎路／弯路 (zh) (wānlù)

• Czech: zajížďka f
• Danish: omvej c
• Dutch: omleiding (nl) f, omweg (nl) m, wegomlegging (nl)
• Finnish: kiertotie
• French: détour (fr) m, déviation (fr) f
• Galician: rodeo (gl) m
• German: Umleitung (de) f (diversion), Umweg (de) m (deviation)
• Greek: παράκαμψη (el) f (parákampsi)
• Hebrew: מעקף m (ma'akaf)
• Hungarian: kerülőút (hu), elkerülő út (hu), kerülő (hu)
• Irish: malairt slí f, athbhealach m, cúrsa timpill m, cor bealaigh m, seachród m
• Italian: deviazione (it) f
• Japanese: 迂回路 (うかいろ, ukairo)
• Latin: dēvortia n pl
• Maori: autaki, ara autaki
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: omkjøring m or f

• Persian: بیراهه (fa) (birâhe), مسیر انحرافی (masir-e enherâfi)
• Polish: objazd (pl) m, nadłożenie drogi n
• Portuguese: desvio (pt) m, distracção (pt)
• Russian: объе́зд (ru) m (obʺjézd), (on foot) обхо́д (ru) m (obxód), око́льный путь m (okólʹnyj putʹ), крю́к (ru) m (krjúk)
• Spanish: desvío (es) m
• Swedish: omväg (sv) c
• Ukrainian: об'їзд m (obʺjizd)

An temporary alternative route to the main route.

• Maori: ara autaki

See also

• bypass
• roundabout

Verb

detour (third-person singular simple present detours, present participle detouring, simple past and past participle detoured)

1. (intransitive) To make a detour.
   • 1988 April 9, Elizabeth Pincus, “Freedom Ride Supports Southern Les/Gay Visibility”, in Gay Community News, page 3:

     Petrelis detoured away from southern activities to visit Chicago and help draw attention to lesbian, gay and AIDS issues during the Illinois primary March 16.

2. (transitive) To direct or send on a detour.

Translations

intransitive: to make a detour

• Bulgarian: заобикалям (bg) (zaobikaljam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 繞道／绕道 (zh) (ràodào)

• Dutch: omlopen (nl), omrijden (nl) etc.
• Finnish: mennä kiertotietä, tulla kiertotietä, käyttää kiertotietä
• French: détourner (fr)
• German: einen Umweg machen (de)
• Hungarian: kerülőt tesz
• Japanese: 迂回する (ja) (うかいする, ukai suru)
• Portuguese: desviar (pt)
• Russian: объезжа́ть (ru) impf (obʺjezžátʹ), объе́хать (ru) pf (obʺjéxatʹ)
• Ukrainian: об’їжджа́ти impf (obʺjiždžáty), об’ї́хати pf (obʺjíxaty)

transitive: to direct or send on a detour

• Bulgarian: карам да заобиколи (karam da zaobikoli)
• Dutch: omleiden (nl)
• Finnish: ohjata kiertotietä
• German: umleiten (de)
• Hungarian: elterel (hu), kerülőútra terel
• Japanese: 迂回させる (ja) (うかいさせる, ukai saseru)
• Portuguese: desviar (pt)
• Spanish: desviar (es)

Anagrams

• Drouet, douter, redout, routed, toured

Middle English

Noun

detour

1. Alternative form of dettour