This is the 9661st most frequent French word.
déviait
"Déviait" means "was deviating" or "was diverting."
Here, 'déviait' is used to describe an action in the past (imperfect tense) where the runner changed their direction deliberately.
Le coureur déviait de sa trajectoire pour éviter un obstacle.
The runner deviated from their path to avoid an obstacle.
In this sentence, 'déviait' indicates a habitual or repeated action in the past where the speaker strayed away from the main topic.
Le discours du conférencier déviait parfois du sujet principal.
The speaker's speech sometimes deviated from the main topic.
In this context, 'déviait' is used to describe a characteristic or ongoing state in the past where the road was rerouted slightly because of external factors.