dishevelled [LME] In the past, when no respectable man or woman would dream of going out without a hat, headscarf, or similar head covering, anyone seen bare-headed would be regarded as very scruffy and dishevelled. The word comes from Old French chevel ‘hair’, from Latin capillus, the source also of capillary [M17th]. The original sense was ‘having the hair uncovered’, then, referring to the hair itself, ‘hanging loose’, hence ‘disordered, untidy’. See unkempt.