3. To wrest from the true meaning; to pervert; as, to distort passages of Scripture, or their meaning.
Syn. — To twist; wrest; deform; pervert.
Distorter
(Dis*tort"er) n. One who, or that which, distorts.
Distortion
(Dis*tor"tion) n. [L. distortio: cf. F. distortion.]
1. The act of distorting, or twisting out of natural or regular shape; a twisting or writhing motion; as, the
distortions of the face or body.
2. A wresting from the true meaning. Bp. Wren.
3. The state of being distorted, or twisted out of shape or out of true position; crookedness; perversion.
4. (Med.) An unnatural deviation of shape or position of any part of the body producing visible deformity.
Distortive
(Dis*tort"ive) a. Causing distortion.
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.]
2. Insane; mad. [Obs.] Drayton.
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.
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. Distracted
(Dis*tract"ed), a. Mentally disordered; unsettled; mad.
My distracted mind.
Pope. Distractedly
(Dis*tract"ed*ly), adv. Disjointedly; madly. Shak.
Distractedness
(Dis*tract"ed*ness), n. A state of being distracted; distraction. Bp. Hall.
Distracter
(Dis*tract"er) n. One who, or that which, distracts away.
Distractful
(Dis*tract"ful) a. Distracting. [R.] Heywood.
