Distractor

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An agent that diverts focus from an intended task or goal
2. Something that causes a person to lose concentration on the main activity
3. An object or event that draws attention away from the primary focus

Etymology: The word "distractor" is a plain English formation: it combines "distract" with the suffix "-or," which marks a person or thing that performs an action. Its base, "distract," comes from Latin "distrahere," meaning "to pull apart" or "draw in different directions," built from "dis-" (apart) and "trahere" (to draw). The verb passed into English through the participle "distractus," so the idea underneath every use of the word is literal pulling in two directions. The suffix has a longer journey. The Latin agent ending "-tor" was taken up in Old French as "-eor," and Middle English shaped it into "-our," which became the "-or" spelling used in modern English. That means "distractor" joins a long line of agent nouns such as "actor" and "creator," all carrying the same ending through French before reaching English.

Synonyms: diversion, distraction, interruptor

Antonyms: focus, concentration