Etymograph

English

traction

Traction comes from Latin tractus, and goes back to trahō ‘pull’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrahōas trahere‘pull’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtractus
  3. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500tractio
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1911traction

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrahōas trahere‘pull’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtractus
  3. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500tractio
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1911traction

Earliest quotation: 1911, ‘Steel Rudd’, The Book of Dan: “‘Well,’ McCarthy answered, with a broad smile, when Dan…”

Linked words

through Latin trahō ‘pull’

treat, contract, portrait, attractive, abstract, extract, distract, tram, retract, 37 more

through Latin tractus

trait, trattoria, 3 more

through Medieval Latin tractio

tracing

Today it means

noun The act of pulling something along a surface using motive power.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin trahō / traction

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