Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Disheveled

 WORD OF THE DAY

disheveled / adjective / dih-SHEV-uld

Definition
: marked by disorder or disarray

Examples
"I'm a realist. … I know what I see. And what I see is a team that's somewhat disheveled. And that's on me. Somehow, … I do not have the ability at this point in time to affect my players to make sure that we're in a better place mentally and physically, to play the kind of basketball we need to play."
— Geno Auriemma, quoted in ESPN, 9 Dec. 2021
 
For example, Minerva laughs at the idea of Rue’s rather chaotic, disheveled character (played by Zendaya), sporting a fresh, chip-free manicure.
— Kiana Murden, Vogue, 25 Jan. 2022

Did You Know?
It’s common to wake up after a long night’s sleep with your hair disheveled - which is appropriate, considering the origins of the word disheveled.
First appearing in English in the late 16th century, disheveled derived from Middle English discheveled, meaning "bareheaded" or "with disordered hair."
It is a partial translation of the Anglo-French word deschevelé, formed by combining the prefix des- (dis-) with chevoil, the word for hair.
Since the early 17th century, however, disheveled has been used for things other than hair, including such disparate items as grammar and reputations, that are far from tidy.

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