Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “distraught” come from?

distraught (Middle English) comes from Middle English straught, from Old English streahte.

Ancestry of “distraught”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishstraughtstretched, distraught
2Old Englishstreahte—

Words derived from “distraught”

  • distracting
  • distraught
  • distractor
  • distracter
  • distractible
  • distractingly
  • distractive
  • distractable
  • nondistracting
  • distraughtly
  • undistracting
  • undistractable
  • undistraught
  • distracteth
  • distractful
  • distraughtness
  • undistractible
  • distractest
  • distraktar
Every word from Old English streahte →