  We introduce a generalization of the usual vacuum energy, called `deformed
vacuum energy', which yields anisotropic pressure whilst preserving zero
inertial mass density. It couples to the shear scalar in a unique way, such
that they together emulate the canonical scalar field with an arbitrary
potential. This opens up a new avenue by reconsidering cosmologies based on
canonical scalar fields, along with a bonus that the kinetic term of the scalar
field is replaced by an observable, the shear scalar. We further elaborate the
aspects of this approach in the context of dark energy.
