To make someone's hair, clothes, or appearance messy or disorganized; to put in disorder.
From Old French 'descheveler,' combining 'des-' (dis-) with 'chevel' (hair, from Latin 'capillus'). The word entered English in the 14th century and originally meant specifically to disarrange hair, but expanded to mean any kind of untidy appearance.
In medieval art, a 'disheveled' woman was code for passion, danger, or madness—so painters used disheveled hair to signal that a character was transgressive or out of control, making it a visual language of rebellion.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.