Part 430

4. (Med.) An unnatural deviation of shape or position of any part of the body producing visible deformity.

Dis*tort"ive (?), a. Causing distortion.

Dis*tract" (?), a. [L. distractus, p. p. of distrahere to draw asunder; dis- + trahere to draw. See Trace, and cf. Distraught.] 1. Separated; drawn asunder. [Obs.]

2. Insane; mad. [Obs.] Drayton.

Dis*tract", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Distracted, old p. p. Distraught; p. pr. & vb. n. Distracting.] 1. To draw apart or away; to divide; to disjoin.

A city . . . distracted from itself.

Fuller.

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.

Goldsmith.

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.

Milton.

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.

Shak.

Dis*tract"ed, a. Mentally disordered; unsettled; mad.

My distracted mind.

Pope.

Dis*tract"ed*ly, adv. Disjointedly; madly. Shak.

Dis*tract"ed*ness, n. A state of being distracted; distraction. Bp. Hall.

Dis*tract"er (?), n. One who, or that which, distracts away.

Dis*tract"ful (?), a. Distracting. [R.] Heywood.

Dis*tract"i*ble (?), a. Capable of being drawn aside or distracted.

Dis*tract"ile (?), a. (Bot.) Tending or serving to draw apart.

Dis*tract"ing, a. Tending or serving to distract.

Dis*trac"tion (?), n. [L. distractio: cf. F. distraction.] 1. The act of distracting; a drawing apart; separation.

To create distractions among us.