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   Trac·tion

   /ˈtrakSH(ə)n/

   

   noun

   • 1. the action of drawing or pulling something over a surface, especially a road or track: "a primitive vehicle used in animal traction"
   • ▪ motive power provided for movement, especially on a railroad: "the changeover to diesel and electric traction"
   • ▪ locomotives collectively: "a pent-up demand for traction and rolling stock"
   • 2. the grip of a tire on a road or a wheel on a rail: "his car hit a patch of ice and lost traction"
   • 3. the extent to which a product, idea, etc., gains popularity or acceptance: "analysts predicted that the technology would rapidly gain traction in the corporate market"
   • 4. the application of a sustained pull on a limb or muscle, especially in order to maintain the position of a fractured bone or to correct a deformity: "his leg is in traction"

   Word Origin late Middle English (denoting contraction, such as that of a muscle): from French, or from medieval Latin tractio(n-), from Latin trahere ‘draw, pull’. Current senses date from the early 19th century.

   Derivatives

   • 1. tractional adjective

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • T

     1

   • R

     1

   • A

     1

   • C

     3

   • T

     1

   • I

     1

   • O

     1

   • N

     1

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