I. di-ˈstrakt, ˈdis-ˌtrakt adjective
Date: 14th century
archaic : insane , mad
II. di-ˈstrakt transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere, literally, to draw apart, from dis- + trahere to draw
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : to turn aside : divert
refused to be distract ed from her purpose
b. : to draw or direct (as one's attention) to a different object or in different directions at the same time
was distract ed by a sudden noise
2. : to stir up or confuse with conflicting emotions or motives
Synonyms: see puzzle
• dis·tract·i·bil·i·ty -ˌstrak-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē noun
• dis·tract·ible also dis·tract·able -ˈstrak-tə-bəl adjective
• dis·tract·ing·ly -tiŋ-lē adverb