I.to wander from the way, to go astray.
I. Lit.: “puer inter homines aberravit a patre,” Plaut. Men. prol. 31: “taurus, qui pecore aberrāsset,” Liv. 41, 13, 2.—
II. Trop.
A. (Like abeo, II. A.) To wander from, stray, or deviate from a purpose, subject, etc. (Ciceronian): “a regulā et praescriptione naturae,” Cic. Acc. 2, 46, 140: “ne ab eo, quod propositum est, longius aberret oratio,” id. Caecin. 19; so id. Off. 1, 28; 1, 37; id. Fin. 5, 28 al.—Also without ab: “vereor ne nihil conjecturā aberrem,” Cic. Att. 14, 22 (with a conjecturā, id. N. D. 1, 36, 100): “etiam si aberrare ad alia coeperit, ad haec revocetur oratio,” id. Off. 1, 37 fin.: “rogo, ut artificem (sc. pictorem), quem elegeris, ne in melius quidem sinas aberrare,” that the painter should not depart from the original, even to improve it, Plin. Ep. 4, 28 fin.—
