di·ver·gence (dĭ-vûrˈjəns, dī-)

1. A moving or spreading apart in different directions from a common point.
2. The degree by which things deviate or spread apart.
3. A turning of both eyes outward from a common point or of one eye when the other is fixed.
4. The spreading of branches of the neuron to form synapses with several other neurons.
5. The evolutionary process by which organisms descended from a common ancestor tend to acquire different forms when living under different conditions.

Related Forms:

• di·verˈgent adjective