distractor
UK[dɪˈstræktə]US[dɪˈstræktər]
n
something that prevents someone from concentrating on what they are doing
n
an incorrect but plausible choice in a multiple-choice test
Morpheme Breakdown
dis
tract
or
dis
apart, away
tract
pull, draw
or
agent suffix
Etymology
The word 'distractor' is built upon the verb 'distract,' which entered English in the late 14th century from the Latin distractus, the past participle of distrahere. This Latin verb is a compound of dis- ("apart") and trahere ("to pull"), thus literally meaning "to pull apart" or "draw away." The core concept evolved from the physical act of pulling something away to the mental act of drawing someone's attention away from a focus. The agent suffix -or was then appended to form 'distractor,' denoting a thing or person that causes this diversion. This etymological journey from a literal "pulling apart" to a modern abstract meaning of a diversionary element or a misleading test option clearly illustrates the semantic logic of the word's construction.
Analysis
Structure: dis (apart, away) + tract (pull, draw) + or (agent suffix)
- dis: A Latin prefix meaning "apart," "asunder," "away," or having a negative or reversing force.
- tract: From Latin tractus, the past participle of trahere meaning "to pull, draw, drag."
- or: A Latin-derived agent noun suffix indicating a person or thing that performs the action of the verb.
Examples
The noisy construction outside was a constant distractor during the exam.
In a well-designed multiple-choice question, each distractor should seem plausible to an unprepared student.
She turned off her phone notifications to eliminate the biggest distractor from her work.