traction

From Medieval Latin tractio, from Latin tractus, perfect passive participle of verb trahere (“pull”), + noun of action suffix -io (genitive -ionis).

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɹæk.ʃən/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ækʃən

traction (usually uncountable, plural tractions)

1. The act of pulling something along a surface using motive power.
2. The condition of being so pulled.
3. Grip.
4. The pulling power of an engine or animal.
5. The adhesive friction of a wheel etc on a surface.
6. (usually after forms of gain, get or have) Progress in or momentum toward achieving a goal, especially in gaining support, recognition, or popularity.
   1. (business) The extent of adoption of a new product or service, typically measured in number of customers or level of revenue achieved.
   2. (politics) Popular support.
   3. (academia) Scholarly interest and research.
      • 2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 2:

        Despite this somewhat late start, the field of study has gained great traction globally, and since 2015 has even had its own journal: Linguistic Landscape: An International Journal.

7. (medicine) A mechanically applied sustained pull, especially to a limb.
8. (transport) Collectively, the locomotives of a railroad, especially electric locomotives.

• contraction
• subtraction

traction (third-person singular simple present tractions, present participle tractioning, simple past and past participle tractioned)

1. (medicine, transitive) To apply a sustained pull to (a limb, etc.).

• orticant, tacitron

Borrowed from Late Latin tractiōnem, from trahō.

• IPA^(key): /tʁak.sjɔ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

traction f (plural tractions)

1. traction
2. (gymnastics) pull-up

• système de traction asservie

• attraction
• tracter
• traire

• “traction”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.