From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Distract \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.]
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2. Insane; mad. [Obs.] --Drayton.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Distract \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.
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A city . . . distracted from itself. --Fuller.
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2. To draw (the sight, mind, or attention) in different
directions; to perplex; to confuse; as, to distract the
eye; to distract the attention.
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Mixed metaphors . . . distract the imagination.
--Goldsmith.
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3. To agitate by conflicting passions, or by a variety of
motives or of cares; to confound; to harass.
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Horror and doubt distract
His troubled thoughts. --Milton.
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4. To unsettle the reason of; to render insane; to craze; to
madden; -- most frequently used in the participle,
distracted.
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A poor mad soul; . . . poverty hath distracted her.
--Shak.
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