dē-vĭus, a, um, adj. [via], lying off the high-road; out of the way, devious (class.; for syn. cf.: avius, invius).
I 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.—
B 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.—
2 Poet., inaccessible : limina, Prop. 4 (5), 9, 27.—
II 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.