Origin and history of distracted

late 14c., distracten, "to turn or draw (a person, the mind) aside or away from any object; divert (the attention) from any point toward another point," from Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere "draw in different directions," from dis- "away" (see dis-) + trahere "to draw" (see tract (n.1)).

Sense of "to throw into a state of mind in which one knows not how to act, cause distraction in, confuse by diverse or opposing considerations" is from 1580s. Also formerly sometimes in a stronger sense, "disorder the reason of, render frantic or mad" (1590s). Literal senses of "pull apart in different directions and separate; cut into parts or sections" are from late 16c. but are rare or obsolete in English. Related: Distracted; distracting.

"distracted, frantic, deranged," late 14c., an alteration of distract (mid-14c.), which in its older form is long obsolete, a past-participle adjective from the Middle English verb distracten or else from Latin distractus "distracted, perplexed," past participle of distrahere "draw in different directions," from dis- "away" (see dis-) + trahere "to draw" (see tract (n.1)).

The Middle English alteration in form is perhaps by association with native past-participle forms in -ght, such as caught, bought, taught, brought. Compare distracted, which is a 16c. past-participle adjective from the same verb after the form of this word shifted.