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distraction

noun
/dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French distraction, from Latin distractio. Equivalent to distract + -ion.

  1. derived from distractio
  2. borrowed from distraction

Definitions

  1. Something that distracts.

    • Poking one's eye is a good distraction from a hurting toe.
    • At last the Duke of Anjou arrived, dressed, as his brother said, to distraction.

  2. The process of being distracted.

    • We have to reduce distraction in class if we want students to achieve good results.

  3. Perturbation

    Perturbation; disorder; disturbance; confusion.

    • It's true that the Copernican Systeme introduceth distraction in the universe of Aristotle.
  4. ›+ 2 more definitions

    1. Mental disarray

      Mental disarray; a deranged state of mind; insanity.

      • The incessant nightmares drove him to distraction.
      • […] if he speak the words of an oath in a strange language, thinking they signify something else, or if he spake in his sleep, or deliration, or distraction, it is no oath, and so not obligatory.

    2. Traction so exerted as to separate surfaces normally opposed.

The neighborhood

Derived

distractionary, distractionism, distractionist, distractionless, distraction osteogenesis, drive to distraction, osteodistraction, to distraction

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at distraction. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01distraction02distracted03diverted04divert05distract

A definitional loop anchored at distraction. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

5 hops · closes at distraction

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA