discombobulate en · VERB
Pronunciation
Etymology
Fanciful variant of discompose, discomfit, etc., originally discombobricate. The -bob- interfix may come from bobbery, meaning “commotion, noise”. First attested in 1834 in the United States.
Meanings
-
(humorous, transitive) To throw into a state of confusion; to befuddle or perplex.
First, distract target. Then block his blind jab. Counter with cross to left cheek. Discombobulate. Dazed, he'll attempt wild haymaker. Employ elbow block.
2009 December 25, Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Simon Kinberg, 17:18 from the start, in Sherlock Holmes (film), spoken by Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.):Can't you and I pretend to quarrel? A personal assault by you on me will wake these people up and discombobulate Goldsmith. Say the word—only don't hit too hard.
1895, John Kendrick Bangs, “Story-tellers' Night”, in A House-Boat on the Styx, New York: Harper & Brothers, published 1901, page 132:The notes zigzag in his pieces and discombobulate the ear, just as in 12-tone works.
1999 December 13, Anthony Tommasini, “MUSIC REVIEW; Plenty Of Zigzags, But Hold The Angst”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page E3:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| discombooberate | alternative | lexicographic | |
| discombobulated | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| discombobulated | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| discombobricate | alternative | lexicographic | |
| discombobulating | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| discombobulates | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| discomboberate | alternative | lexicographic | |
| discombulate | alternative | lexicographic |