To depart from the main subject temporarily in speech or writing; to wander away from the central topic or theme.
From Latin 'digressus,' meaning 'to step away,' combining 'di-' (apart) and 'gradi' (to step or walk). The word entered English in the 16th century, maintaining its sense of stepping away from a path—literally or figuratively.
Think of digress as 'die-gress'—your main topic 'dies' temporarily as you step away onto a side path! The root 'grad/gress' means 'step' (like in 'progress' and 'grade'), so digressing is literally stepping aside from your main route.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.