Meanings
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1
noun
The act of deflecting or something deflected.
Russell's goalbound shot took a deflection off a defender and went out for a corner.
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2
noun
Deviation (of a needle or other indicator or mechanism) from a previous position.
At about the time that #1 tyre failed, the Flight Data Recorder shows right rudder deflection. This may have been applied to correct a yaw to the left. (Traces of the left main gear on the runway show that the nose wheels were to the right of the centreline and never crossed it.) About 500 metres from the threshold, the inner wheels of the left main gear bogie had closed from about 2 1⁄2 metres to about one metre to the left of the centreline; this may have been because of over-correction for a tendency to yaw to the left or weather-cocking because of the surface wind. Whatever the reason, the actual deviation would probably have been considered insignificant to the cockpit crew.
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3
noun
The act of refusing to address something (questions, criticism, etc.).
“‘I’m focused on the future’ is one of the most generic store-brand fuckboy deflections there is,” Oliver fumed.
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4
noun
Bending or deformation under load.
The structure was examined and passed by the Board of Trade in February, 1890, after it had been tested with two trains of 50 loaded wagons, each hauled by two engines, and pushed by a third. The trains ran side by side, and their combined weight, including the six engines, was 1,800 tons. The deflections of the girders were precisely in accordance with the calculations of the engineers.
Etymology
From Latin dēflexiō, from dēflectere (“to deflect”; participle stem dēflex-) + -iō (suffix forming abstract nouns). The non-etymological spelling deflection is taken from the present stem dēflect-, associated with collection, dissection, etc. By surface analysis, deflect + -ion.