different between devious vs uneven

English

Etymology

1590s, "out of the common or direct way," from Latin devius "out of the way, remote, off the main road," from de via; from de "off" (see de-) + via "way, road" (see via). Compare deviate. Originally in the Latin literal sense; the figurative sense of "deceitful" is first recorded 1630s. Related: Deviously; deviousness. Figurative senses of the Latin word were "retired, sequestered, wandering in the byways, foolish, inconsistent."

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?di?vi.?s/

  Rhymes: -i?vi?s

Adjective

devious (comparative more devious, superlative most devious)

1. cunning or deceiving, not straightforward or honest, not frank
2. roundabout, circuitous, deviating from the direct or ordinary route
   • 1801, Robert Southey, Thalaba the Destroyer:

     The wandering Arab never sets his tent
     Within her walls; the Shepherd eyes afar
     Her evil towers, and devious drives his flock.

   • 1839, Frederick Marryat, The Phantom Ship:

     Keeping close in to the shore, they discovered, after two hours run, a fresh stream which burst in a cascade from the mountains, and swept its devious course through the jungle, until it poured its tribute into the waters of the Strait.

Translations

English

Etymology

From Middle English uneven, from Old English unefen (“unequal, unlike, dissimilar, diverse, irregular”), equivalent to un- +? even. Cognate with Dutch oneven (“unequal, uneven, odd”), German uneben (“uneven, rough, irregular, bumpy”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n?iv?n/
• Rhymes: -i?v?n

Adjective

uneven (comparative more uneven, superlative most uneven)

1. Not even
2. Not level or smooth
3. Not uniform
4. Varying in quality
5. (mathematics, rare) Odd

   Antonym: even

Synonyms

• rough

Derived terms

• unevenly
• unevenness

Translations

See also

• irregular
• unequal

Verb

uneven (third-person singular simple present unevens, present participle unevening, simple past and past participle unevened)

1. (transitive) To make uneven.
   • 1993, Travel Holiday (volume 176, page 56)

     Initially it nestled among the dozens of Indian mounds that unevened the earth near the river until they were leveled to accommodate commerce.

   • 2006, Jack Temple Kirby, Mockingbird Song: Ecological Landscapes of the South (page 128)

     First, of course, the war reduced the white male, mostly young adult, population by more than a quarter-million, unevening the sex ratio and connubial and other opportunities for women for perhaps a generation.