I. dəˈstrakt, (ˈ)di|s- adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin distractus, past participle
1. obsolete : drawn apart or pulled to pieces ; also : diverted
2.
a. obsolete : experiencing confusion of mind : distraught
b. archaic : insane , mad
II. də̇ˈstrakt transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English distracten, from Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere, literally, to draw or pull apart, from dis- apart + trahere to draw, pull — more at dis- , draw
1.
a. : to draw or cause to turn away (from an original position, goal, purpose, direction, association, or interest)
the last thing he wanted was to be distracted from his present high purpose — Archibald Marshall
Roeder and his associates were not at once distracted from the sawmill — American Guide Series: Washington
b. obsolete : to draw apart or away : divide , separate ; also : disperse
c. : to draw (the sight, mind, or attention) to a different object or compellingly and confusingly attract in divergent directions at once
irritated and distracted during the first part of the concert by the entrance of late concertgoers
they have distracted our eyes from the pastoral beauty of another Ireland — Sean O'Faolain
d. : to provide amusement or diversion for
the excursion to the zoo served to distract him for at least one afternoon
2.
a. : to stir up or confuse with conflicting emotions or motives or unsettling worries : harass , confound
she was distracted by the uncertainty of her future
b. : to disrupt or cause dissension in by reason of divergent or conflicting desires, aims, or motives
shifting governments and violent oppositions, whose component groups found advantage in forming connections with interests and groups within the distracted company — Times Literary Supplement
the famous “Elizabethtown Controversy” which long distracted the politics of New Jersey — E.P.Tanner
the Christian Church … distracted by an internecine conflict — W.R.Inge
3. : to unsettle the reason of : make insane : madden
Synonyms: see puzzle