Also 5 evagacion, -cyon. [First introduced in the fig. sense 2; a. F. évagation, L. ēvagātiōn-em, n. of action f. ēvagārī, f. ē out + vagārī to wander.]

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  1.  The action of wandering away, or departing from a specified locality, prescribed course, etc.; rambling, roving; an instance of the same.

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1691.  Ray, Creation (1714), 220. Long Ridges … of … Mountains … serve to stop the evagation of the Vapours.

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1713.  Derham, Phys.-Theol. (1727), 118. To Bridle the Evagation of the Sound. Ibid. (1714), Astro-Theol., VI. iii. (1769), 154. The preventing the evagation of the Planets.

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1785.  Landen, Rot. Motion, in Phil. Trans., LXXV. 328. That evagation is caused by the motive forces urging the body to turn about AB, AC, AD, conjunctly.

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1802.  Paley, Nat. Theol., xxii. (1819), 355. If the prevailing law had transgressed the limits above assigned, every evagation [of a planet] would have been fatal.

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  b.  In speech or discussion: A digression.

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a. 1656.  Hales, Gold. Rem. (1688), 571. They have held the Synod with delays, stays and evagations.

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1887.  Blackw. Mag., Oct., 504/2. Leading us, even though by very tedious evagations, up to a noble climax.

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  † 2.  Wandering of the mind, thoughts, spirit, etc. (Mentioned as one of the ‘branches’ of Accidia or Sloth, one of the seven mortal sins.)

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c. 1425.  trans. T. à Kempis’ Consol., III. xxvii. Restreyne all euel evagacions & all miȝty temptacions.

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1502.  Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W., 1506), II. vii. 102. Euagacyon of thought is to gyue & occupye himselfe with talkynge in folysshe and vayne langage.

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1503.  Sheph. Kalender, vii. (ed. Paris), 51. Heyr … followys the branchys of sweyrnes, qwych ar ewylthoght, enwy of good … ewagacyon [1508 Euagacyon] [etc.].

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1526.  Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 94 b. Euagacyon of mynde … is ye doughter of slouth.

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1607.  Schol. Disc. agst. Antichr., I. iii. 161. That euagation of the soule … is not ex fragilitate.

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1677.  Gale, Crt. Gentiles, II. III. 63. The soul is … moved … even unto an ecstasie or divine evagation.

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  † 3.  a. A diversion. b. A departure from propriety, an extravagance. Obs.

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1638.  Walton, in Reliq. Wotton. (1672), 579. You married men are deprived of these evagations.

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1649.  J. Hall, Motion to Parl., 8. Neither subject to these wilde evagations, nor savage rudenesses.

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