traction English · revision 39657

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=?a1425, translation of Guy de Chauliac's Grande Chirurgie|origins=la trahō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈtɹæk.ʃən/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la-med|tractiō|t=a drawing, pulling]],^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(AHD 2024) in Middle English [[m|enm|traccioun]];^(Etymonline) the Shorter Oxford and the Oxford Dictionary of English allow that it may also be from [[fr|traction]],^(SOED 2002)^(ODE 2010) which the OED records in Middle French once before 1365 and then from the 16th century.^(OED 2026) The Latin noun is formed on [[m|la|tractus]], the past participle of [[m|la|trahō|t=to draw, pull, drag]].^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024)^(Klein 1966) In classical Latin ''tractiō'' was a grammatical term; in post-classical Latin it meant the drawing of blood (4th century), then from the 13th and 14th centuries the pull of a muscle, attraction, and the pulling of a broken or dislocated bone into place, as in Guy de Chauliac (1363).^(OED 2026) It is related to [[tract]], [[tractor]] and [[attract]].^(Klein 1966)^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In surgery, pulling a dislocated or broken bone back into its proper position: ?a1425, in a translation of Guy de Chauliac's ''Grande Chirurgie''.^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline) Barnhart, who did not have this example, dates the word to 1615.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 17th century the word was used of the pull of a muscle (1615), of drawing power or attraction (1608, in Middleton) and of pulling or drawing in general (1642).^(OED 2026) Johnson (1755) defined it as the act of drawing or the state of being drawn.^(Johnson 1755) The current senses date from the early 19th century:^(ODE 2010) the drawing of vehicles or loads along a road or rail, from 1803,^(OED 2026)^(Hoad 1986) hence ''traction engine'';^(Hoad 1986) the grip of a wheel on a surface, recorded by Barnhart from 1825 and by the OED from 1857;^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 2026) and the steady pull applied to a broken limb in hospital.^(SOED 2002)^(Collins 2023) The figurative sense, the support or interest that lets an idea or product make progress, as in ''gain traction'', is recorded from 1942.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * ?a1425 – pulling a bone back into place.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1608 – drawing power, attraction (now rare).^(OED 2026)

+ * 1615 – the pull of a muscle.^(OED 2026)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1642 – pulling or drawing in general.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1803 – the hauling of vehicles or loads.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1825 – the grip of a wheel (Barnhart).^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1857 – the grip of a wheel or tyre on a surface (OED).^(OED 2026)

+ * 1893 – plural, shares in tramway and railway companies.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1942 – support allowing an idea to progress.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The grip of a [[wheel]], [[tyre]] or foot on a surface that lets it move without slipping.^(Collins 2023)^(OED 2026)

+ # The act of pulling or drawing a load, or the power used for it: ''steam traction''.^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # (medicine) A steady pull applied to part of the body with weights and pulleys, to treat a broken bone or [[dislocation]]: ''His leg was in traction for six weeks.''^(Collins 2023)^(SOED 2002)

+ # Support or interest that lets an idea, product or campaign make progress: ''The proposal is gaining traction.''^(Collins 2023)^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[tractional]]

+ * [[tractive]]

+ * [[traction engine]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[contraction]]

+ * [[subtraction]]

+ * [[tractor]]

+ * [[tract]]

+ * [[attract]]

+ * [[distract]]

+ * [[extract]]

+ * [[retract]]

+ * [[trace]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}