tousle
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tou·sle
(tou′zəl, -səl)tr.v. tou·sled, tou·sling, tou·sles
To disarrange or rumple; dishevel.
n.
A disheveled mass, as of hair.
[Early Modern English , frequentative of touse, to pull roughly, from Middle English -tousen (attested in past participles be-toused and to-toused, disheveled, rumpled); akin to German zausen and Low German tūsen, to tousle, ultimately from Germanic *tūs-; perhaps akin to Latin dūmus, thornbush, bramble (from Old Latin dusmus); and Old Irish dos, bushy tree, copse, thicket.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
tousle
(ˈtaʊzəl)vb (tr)
1. to tangle, ruffle, or disarrange
2. to treat roughly
n
3. a disorderly, tangled, or rumpled state
4. a dishevelled or disordered mass, esp of hair
[C15: from Low German tūsen to shake; related to Old High German zirzūsōn to tear to pieces]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
tou•sle
(ˈtaʊ zəl, -səl)v. -sled, -sling,
n. v.t.
1. to disorder or dishevel: The wind tousled our hair.
2. to handle roughly.
n. 3. a disheveled or rumpled mass, esp. of hair.
4. a disordered or tangled condition.
[1400–50; late Middle English touselen (c. Low German tūseln), derivative of Middle English -t(o)usen, in betusen, fortusen to handle roughly, c. Old Frisian tūsen]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
tousle
Past participle: tousled
Gerund: tousling
| Imperative |
|---|
| tousle |
| tousle |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Verb | 1. |  tousle - disarrange or rumple; dishevel; "The strong wind tousled my hair"disarrange - destroy the arrangement or order of; "My son disarranged the papers on my desk" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
tousle
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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