Hypertext Webster Gateway: "traction"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Traction \Trac"tion\, n. [L. trahere, tractum, to draw: cf. F.
traction.]
1. The act of drawing, or the state of being drawn; as, the
traction of a muscle.
2. Specifically, the act of drawing a body along a plane by
motive power, as the drawing of a carriage by men or
horses, the towing of a boat by a tug.
3. Attraction; a drawing toward. [R.]
4. The adhesive friction of a wheel on a rail, a rope on a
pulley, or the like. --Knight.
{Angle of traction} (Mech.), the angle made with a given
plane by the line of direction in which a tractive force
acts.
{Traction engine}, a locomotive for drawing vehicles on
highways or in the fields.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
traction
n 1: the friction between a body and the surface on which it
moves (as between an automobile tire and the road) [syn:
{grip}, {adhesive friction}]
2: (orthopedics) the act of pulling on a bone or limb (as in a
fracture) to relieve pressure or align parts in a special
way during healing; "his leg was in traction for several
days"
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