English Explanatory Dictionary

tract

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. An area or expanse.
  2. A series of connected body organs, such as the digestive tract.
  3. A small booklet such as a pamphlet, often for promotional or informational uses.
  4. A brief treatise or discourse on a subject.
  5. A commentator's view or perspective on a subject.
  6. Continued or protracted duration, length, extent
  7. Part of the proper of the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations, used instead of the alleluia during Lenten or pre-Lenten seasons, in a Requiem Mass, and on a few other penitential occasions.
  8. Continuity or extension of anything.
  9. Traits; features; lineaments.
  10. The footprint of a wild animal.
  11. Track; trace.
  12. Treatment; exposition.
verb
  1. To pursue, follow; to track.
  2. To draw out; to protract.
verb
  1. To treat, discourse, negotiate.

Pronunciation

/tɹækt/ en-us-tract.ogg

Word forms

tract tracts tracting tracted

Etymology

From Middle English tract, tracte, traht (“a treatise, exposition, commentary”), from Old English traht, tract (“a treatise, exposition, commentary, text, passage”); and also from Middle English tract, tracte (“an expanse of space or time”); both from Latin tractus (“a haul, drawing, a drawing out”), the perfect passive participle of trahō. Doublet of trait.

Synonyms

system

Related words

abstract attract contract detract distract extract protract retract subtract tractor tractable tractate tractile traction tractive trait treat

Derived words

biliary tract census tract digestive tract gastrointestinal tract GI tract iliotibial tract lower respiratory tract pyramidal tract respiratory tract spinoreticular tract Tractarian tract home tract house tract housing tract mansion tract society Trans-Karakoram Tract upper respiratory tract urinary tract urinary tract infection vocal tract von Monakow's tract
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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