Distract
Distract , adjective
[Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere to draw asunder; dis- + trahere to draw. See Trace, and compare Distraught.]
1.
Separated; drawn asunder. [Obsolete]
2.
Insane; mad. [Obsolete] — Drayton
Distract , transitive verb
1.
To draw apart or away; to divide; to disjoin.
A city... distracted from itself.
2.
To draw (the sight, mind, or attention) in different directions; to perplex; to confuse; as, to distract the eye; to distract the attention.
Mixed metaphors... distract the imagination.
3.
To agitate by conflicting passions, or by a variety of motives or of cares; to confound; to harass.
Horror and doubt distract
His troubled thoughts.
4.
To unsettle the reason of; to render insane; to craze; to madden; -- most frequently used in the participle, distracted.
A poor mad soul;... poverty hath distracted her.