(adjective) : dē-vĭus, a, um, via
* Lying off the high-road; out of the way, devious (class.; for syn. cf.: avius, invius).
* Lit.: iter,a by-way,Cic. Att. 4, 3, 4; 14, 10, 1 (cf. avius); Suet. Galb. 20: oppidum,Cic. Pis. 36 fin.: saltus,Liv. 41, 19: calles,id. 22, 14: rura,Ov. M. 1, 676.—Subst.: dēvia, ōrum, n., lonely, unfrequented places: per aspera ac devia,Suet. Tib. 60: in devia terrarum,Luc. 4, 161.
* Transf., of living beings dwelling in out-of-the-way places, retired, sequestered: Anagnini, cum essent devii, etc.,Cic. Phil. 2, 41, 106: gens,Liv. 34, 20: montani,id. 34, 16: civitas,Suet. Vesp. 4: mihi devio nemus Mirari libet, wandering about in unfrequented places: Hor. Od. 3, 25, 12: uxores (i. e. capellae),id. ib. 1, 17, 6: scortum,i. e. retired, shy,id. ib. 2, 11, 21: avis (i. e. the great owl, which dwells in lonely places), Ov. H. 2, 118: equus,leaping aside,Stat. Th. 9, 804.
* Trop., inconstant, erroneous, inconsistent, foolish: quid potest esse tam flexibile, tam devium, quam animus ejus, qui, etc.,Cic. Lael. 25, 93: vita, id. Fragm. ap. Lact. 6, 24: via,Lact. 3, 11, 4; id. 4, 30, 3: nihil quasi devium loqui,i. e. out of the way, impertinent,Plin. Ep. 5, 6, 44: noster Plato nihil ab hac secta vel paululum devius, Ap. Flor. 2, p. 352, 23: homo in omnibus consiliis praeceps et devius,Cic. Phil. 5, 13, 37; Ov. Tr. 3, 7, 30.—Poet. with gen.: devius aequi,Sil. 1, 57; cf.: pectora recti,id. 8, 318: devius promissi es, Mart. Cap. poet. 3 init.—Adv. does not occur.

s. TLL