LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbthird conjugation

distrahō

distrahō (present infinitive distrahere, perfect active distrāxī, supine distractum)
Classical[ˈdɪs.tra.(ɦ)oː]Ecclesiastical[ˈdis.tra.o]

Meaning

  1. to draw, pull or drag asunder; tear in pieces, separate forcibly, divide; scatter
  2. to sell separately (in parcels), retail; sell (in general)
  3. to draw in different directions; divide, distract, perplex
  4. to separate in sentiment, estrange, alienate
    Obsessos hinc fides, inde egestas inter decus ac flagitium distrahebant.The ties of loyalty on the one hand, and the necessities of famine on the other, kept the besieged wavering between the alternatives of glory and infamy.c. 100-110, Tacitus, Histories: Book 4:

Conjugation conjugation 3

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.distrahōdistrahēbamdistrahamdistrāxīdistrāxeramdistrāxerō
2nd sg.distrahisdistrahēbāsdistrahēsdistrāxistīdistrāxerāsdistrāxeris
3rd sg.distrahitdistrahēbatdistrahetdistrāxitdistrāxeratdistrāxerit
1st pl.distrahimusdistrahēbāmusdistrahēmusdistrāximusdistrāxerāmusdistrāxerimus
2nd pl.distrahitisdistrahēbātisdistrahētisdistrāxistisdistrāxerātisdistrāxeritis
3rd pl.distrahuntdistrahēbantdistrahentdistrāxērunt
distrāxēre		distrāxerantdistrāxerint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.distrahamdistraheremdistrāxerimdistrāxissem
2nd sg.distrahāsdistraherēsdistrāxerīsdistrāxissēs
3rd sg.distrahatdistraheretdistrāxeritdistrāxisset
1st pl.distrahāmusdistraherēmusdistrāxerīmusdistrāxissēmus
2nd pl.distrahātisdistraherētisdistrāxerītisdistrāxissētis
3rd pl.distrahantdistraherentdistrāxerintdistrāxissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.distrahordistrahēbardistrahar
2nd sg.distraheris
distrahere		distrahēbāris
distrahēbāre		distrahēris
distrahēre
3rd sg.distrahiturdistrahēbāturdistrahētur
1st pl.distrahimurdistrahēbāmurdistrahēmur
2nd pl.distrahiminīdistrahēbāminīdistrahēminī
3rd pl.distrahunturdistrahēbanturdistrahentur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.distrahardistraherer
2nd sg.distrahāris
distrahāre		distraherēris
distraherēre
3rd sg.distrahāturdistraherētur
1st pl.distrahāmurdistraherēmur
2nd pl.distrahāminīdistraherēminī
3rd pl.distrahanturdistraherentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.distrahedistrahere
pres. 2nd pl.distrahitedistrahiminī
fut. 2nd sg.distrahitōdistrahitor
fut. 3rd sg.distrahitōdistrahitor
fut. 2nd pl.distrahitōte—
fut. 3rd pl.distrahuntōdistrahuntor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivedistraheredistrahī
perfect infinitivedistrāxissedistractum esse
future infinitivedistractūrum essedistractum īrī
present participledistrahēns—
perfect participle—distractus
distracta, distractā, distractae, distractam, distractārum, distractās, distracte, distractī, distractīs, distractō, distractōrum, distractōs
future participledistractūrus
distractūra, distractūrā, distractūrae, distractūram, distractūrārum, distractūrās, distractūre, distractūrī, distractūrīs, distractūrō, distractūrōrum, distractūrōs, distractūrum		distrahendus
distrahundus, distrahenda, distrahendā, distrahendae, distrahendam, distrahendārum, distrahendās, distrahende, distrahendīs, distrahendōrum, distrahendōs
gerunddistrahendī, distrahendō, distrahendumsupinedistractum, distractū

dis-trăho, xi, ctum, 3, v. a.
I. To pull asunder, tear in pieces, to separate forcibly, divide (freq. and class.).
A. Lit.
1. In gen.: corpus quod dirimi distrahive non possit, Cic. N. D. 3, 12; cf. id. Tusc. 1, 29, 71: exanimor, feror, differor, distrahor, diripior, Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 5; Pentheum diripuisse aiunt Bacchas; nugas ... prae quo pacto ego divorsus distrahor, id. Merc. 2, 4, 1 sq.; cf.: Mettum Fufetium equis ad curriculum ex utraque parte deligatum distraxit, Varr. ap. Non. 287, 22; so of the same: corpus passim, Liv. 1, 28 fin.; of Hippolytus: turbatis distractus equis, Verg. A. 7, 787: quae (materia) neque perrumpi neque distrahi potest, Caes. B. G. 7, 23 fin.; cf. vallum (with diripere), Liv. 25, 36: ut aciem ejus distrahi paterentur, i. e. to be separated, broken up, Caes. B. C. 3, 92, 1: Taurus mons mediam distrahens Asiam, Plin. 5, 27, 27, § 97 et saep.—
2. In partic., in mercant. lang., to sell separately, in parcels, to retail = divendere (mostly post-Aug.): dividant, differant, dissipent, distrahant, Lucil. ap. Non. 287, 9: coëmendo quaedam tantum ut pluris postea distraheret, Suet. Vesp. 16: agros, Tac. A. 6, 17; cf. fundum, Dig. 2, 15, 8, § 15: merces, Just. 9, 1, 6: bona venum, Gell. 20, 1, 19 et saep.—
(b). In gen., to sell: instrumentum, Suet. Cal. 39: levi pretio aetatulam, App. M. 7, p. 191 fin.—
3. To waste, squander: apsenti hic tua res distrahitur tibi, Plaut. Trin. 3, 1, 16. —
B. Trop., to draw in different directions; to divide, distract, perplex: qui haec natura cohaerentia opinione distraxissent, Cic. Off. 3, 3, 11; cf. Quint. 4, 3, 4: distrahitur in deliberando animus, Cic. Off. 1, 3, 9; cf., shortly before: in quo considerando saepe animi in contrarias sententias distrahuntur; cf.: distrahor, tum hoc mihi probabilius, tum illud videtur, id. Ac. 2, 43 fin.: cum Tiberium anceps cura distraheret, vine militum ... an, etc., Tac. A. 2, 40; cf. id. ib. 6, 44: obsessos hinc fides, inde egestas inter decus ac flagitium distrahebant, id. H. 4, 60: oratoris industriam in plura studia distrahere nolim, Cic. de Or. 1, 59: sic distrahuntur in contrarias partes impotentium cupiditates, id. Tusc. 5, 20 fin.; cf. Tac. A. 4, 40: res publica distracta lacerataque, Liv. 2, 57; cf. quae sententia omnem societatem distrahit civitatis, Cic. Off. 3, 6, 28: Caesarem et Pompeium perfidia hominum distractos in pristinam concordiam reducere, Balbus ap. Cic. Att. 8, 15 A.: amorem, Ter. Ph. 3, 2, 33: concilium Boeotorum, Liv. 42, 47: collegia, Suet. Caes. 42: matrimonium, Dig. 24, 2, 2 et saep.: rem, to frustrate, prevent, Caes. B. C. 1, 33, 3: controversias, i. e. dirimere, to end, adjust, Cic. Caecin. 2, 6; Suet. Caes. 85: voces, i. e. to leave a hiatus (opp. contrahere), Cic. Or. 45, 152: qua ipse fama distraheretur, i. q. differretur (cf. differo, B. 2.), would be assailed, Tac. A. 3, 10.
II. To tear away, draw away, part, to separate, remove.
A. Lit.: membra divellere ac distrahere, Cic. Sull. 20 fin.: illam a me distrahit necessitas, Ter. Hec. 3, 5, 42; id. Phorm. 1, 4, 24; Cic. Fam. 4, 13, 2.—
B. Trop.: sapientiam, temperantiam, fortitudinem copulatas esse docui cum voluptate, ut ab ea nullo modo nec divelli nec distrahi possint, Cic. Fin. 1, 16, 50.—
2. Of persons, to separate in sentiment, to estrange, alienate: aliquem ab aliquo (preceded by: a conjunctione avocare, and: a familiaritate disjungere), id. Phil. 2, 10, 23; so with divellere, id. Planc. 42, 102.—Hence, distractus, a, um, P. a.
A. Divided (very rarely): (conjectus animaï) divisior inter se ac distractior, Lucr. 4, 961.—
B. Trop., distracted, perplexed: distractissimus tantorum onerum mole, Vell. 2, 114, 1.—Adv. does not occur.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
  2. Latindistrahō

Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Proto-Indo-European *dʰregʰ-der.? Latin trahō Latin distrahō From dis- + trahō (“to drag”).

Descendants
  • Catalandistreure
  • Englishdistract
  • Frenchdistraire
  • Romaniandistrafrom French distraire
  • Italiandistrarre
  • Occitandistraire
  • Portuguesedistrair
  • Romaniandistrage
  • Spanishdistraer
  • Galiciandistraer

In English words that came into English from distrahō

  • distractdistractus
  • distractiondistractio

Quick answers

What does distrahō mean in Latin?
distrahō, a verb, means “to draw, pull or drag asunder; tear in pieces, separate forcibly, divide; scatter”.
What are the principal parts of distrahō?
distrahō, distrahere, distrāxī, distractum (third conjugation).
How do you pronounce distrahō?
In classical Latin, [ˈdɪs.tra.(ɦ)oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈdis.tra.o].
Where does distrahō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ → Latin distrahō.