dishevel

American  

[dih-shev-uhl] / dɪˈʃɛv əl /

verb (used with object)

disheveled, disheveling, dishevelled, dishevelling

1. to let down, as hair, or wear or let hang in loose disorder, as clothing.

2. to cause untidiness and disarray in.

   The wind disheveled the papers on the desk.

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dishevel British  

/ dɪˈʃɛvəl /

verb

1. to disarrange (the hair or clothes) of (someone)

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Other Word Forms

• dishevelment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of dishevel

First recorded in 1590–1600; back formation from disheveled

Explanation

To dishevel is to mess up slightly, the way a breeze might dishevel your carefully combed hair. This verb is nearly always used to talk about tousling someone's hair or mussing their clothes or bedding. So you might carefully tuck in your sheets and comforter only to watch your puppy jump on the bed and dishevel them. Or you might reach over and dishevel your little brother's curls when he's looking particularly adorable. The adjective disheveled came first, from the Old French descheveler, "disarrange the hair."

Example Sentences

Dishevel, di-shev′el, v.t. to disorder the hair: to cause the hair to hang loose.—v.i. to spread in disorder:—pr.p. dishev′elling; pa.p. dishev′elled.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

That She Would Dishevel Her Hair Aramantha, sweet and fair, Ah, braid no more that shining hair!

From The Home Book of Verse — Volume 2 by Stevenson, Burton Egbert