deflection

Meanings

1. The act of deflecting or something deflected.
2. Deviation (of a needle or other indicator or mechanism) from a previous position.
3. The act of refusing to address something (questions, criticism, etc.).
4. The act of rejecting culpability by redirecting blame elsewhere.
5. Bending or deformation under load.
6. A tactic that forces an opposing piece to leave the square, rank or file it occupies, thus exposing the king or a valuable piece

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.