different between digression vs degression

English

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) degression, disgression

Etymology

From Old French digressiun or disgressiun, from Latin digressio, from digressus + -io (“forming abstract nouns from verbs”), the past passive participle of digredi (“to step away, to digress”), from dis- + gradi (“to step, walk, go”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /d????????n/, /d???????n/
• (US) IPA^(key): /da???????n/

Noun

digression (countable and uncountable, plural digressions)

1. An aside, an act of straying from the main subject in speech or writing.
   • c. 1374, Geoffrey Chaucer, Troilus & Criseyde, i, l. 87:

     It were a long disgression
     Fro my matere.

   The lectures included lengthy digressions on topics ranging from the professor's dog to the meaning of life.

2. (generally uncountable) The act of straying from the main subject in speech or writing, (rhetoric) particularly for rhetorical effect.

   make digression... by way of digression...

3. (obsolete) A deviancy, a sin or error, an act of straying from the path of righteousness or a general rule.
   • 1517, Stephen Hawes, Pastime of Pleasure, i, ll. 12 ff.:

     Nature...
     More stronger hadde her operacyon
     Than she hath nowe in her dygressyon.

4. (now rare) A deviation, an act of straying from a path.
   • 1670, Charles Cotton translating Guillaume Girard as History of the Life of the Duke of Espernon, Bk. i, Ch. iv, p. 144:

     By this little digression into Gascony, the Duke had an opportunity... to re-inforce himself with some particular Servants of his.

5. (astronomy, physics) An elongation, a deflection or deviation from a mean position or expected path.
   • 1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, Bk. VI, Ch. iv, p. 288:

     This digression [of the Sun] is not equall, but neare the Æquinoxiall intersections, it is right and greater, near the Solstices, more oblique and lesser.

Synonyms

• (rhetorical device): digressio, ecbole

Related terms

• digress

Translations

See also

• detour

References

• “digression, n..”, in OED Online ?, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1896

French

Etymology

From Latin d?gressi?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di.???.sj??/, /di.??e.sj??/

Noun

digression f (plural digressions)

1. digression

Further reading

• “digression” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d???????n/

Etymology 1

From Latin degressio, from degressus + -io (“forming abstract nouns from verbs”), past perfect participle of degredi (“to descend by steps”), from de- (“down”) + gradi (“to step, walk, go”)

Noun

degression (countable and uncountable, plural degressions)

1. (obsolete) Descent, the act of descending.
   • 1486, Henry VII at York in Surtees Misc., 55:

     For your blode this citie made never degression.

2. (economics) Degressive taxation, a system of progressive decreases in a rate of taxation (as tariffs etc.) below certain benchmarks.
   • 1896, R.H.I. Palgrave, Dictionary of Political Economy, volume II, page 244:

     Graduated taxation therefore technically includes progression, degression, and regression.

3. (publishing) Degressive description, a system of varying descriptions of a book in accordance to its importance or available space.
   • 1908, F. Madan in Transactions of the Bibliographical Society, number 9, page 53:

     The principle of degression... It may therefore be worth while to suggest four forms for the description of a book, showing by degressive changes what details may fairly be omitted in short descriptions.

Related terms

• degressive

Hypernyms

• (taxation): graduation

Etymology 2

See digression.

Noun

degression (plural degressions)

1. Obsolete spelling of digression.

References

• “degression, n..”, in OED Online ?, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1894
• “digression, n..”, in OED Online ?, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1896