attractive quality; magnetic charm; fascination; allurement; enticement: the subtle attraction of her strange personality.
3.
a person or thing that draws, attracts, allures, or entices: The main attraction was the after-dinner speaker.
4.
a characteristic or quality that provides pleasure; attractive feature: The chief attractions of the evening were the good drinks and witty conversation.
5.
Physics. the electric or magnetic force that acts between oppositely charged bodies, tending to draw them together.
6.
an entertainment offered to the public.
[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME attraccioun (< AF) < ML attractiōn- (s. of attractiō). See attract, -ion]
Main Entry: at·trac·tion Pronunciation: &-'trak-sh&n Function: noun : a force acting mutually between particles of matter, tending to
draw them together, and resisting their separation —at·tract/&-'trakt/transitive verb
Ad*he"sive\, a. [Cf. F. adh['e]sif.]1. Sticky; tenacious, as glutinous substances. 2. Apt or tending to adhere; clinging. --Thomson. Adhesive attraction. (Physics) See Attraction. Adhesive inflammation (Surg.), that kind of inflammation which terminates in the reunion of divided parts without suppuration. Adhesive plaster, a sticking; a plaster containing resin, wax, litharge, and olive oil.
At*trac"tion\, n. [L. attractio: cf. F. attraction.]1. (Physics) An invisible power in a body by which it draws anything to itself; the power in nature acting mutually between bodies or ultimate particles, tending to draw them together, or to produce their cohesion or combination, and conversely resisting separation. Note: Attraction is exerted at both sensible and insensible distances, and is variously denominated according to its qualities or phenomena. Under attraction at sensible distances, there are, -- (1.) Attraction of gravitation, which acts at all distances throughout the universe, with a force proportional directly to the product of the masses of the bodies and inversely to the square of their distances apart. (2.) Magnetic, diamagnetic, and electrical attraction, each of which is limited in its sensible range and is polar in its action, a property dependent on the quality or condition of matter, and not on its quantity. Under attraction at insensible distances, there are, -- (1.) Adhesive attraction, attraction between surfaces of sensible extent, or by the medium of an intervening substance. (2.) Cohesive attraction, attraction between ultimate particles, whether like or unlike, and causing simply an aggregation or a union of those particles, as in the absorption of gases by charcoal, or of oxygen by spongy platinum, or the process of solidification or crystallization. The power in adhesive attraction is strictly the same as that of cohesion. (3.) Capillary attraction, attraction causing a liquid to rise, in capillary tubes or interstices, above its level outside, as in very small glass tubes, or a sponge, or any porous substance, when one end is inserted in the liquid. It is a special case of cohesive attraction. (4.) Chemical attraction, or affinity, that peculiar force which causes elementary atoms, or groups of atoms, to unite to form molecules. 2. The act or property of attracting; the effect of the power or operation of attraction. --Newton. 3. The power or act of alluring, drawing to, inviting, or engaging; an attractive quality; as, the attraction of beauty or eloquence. 4. That which attracts; an attractive object or feature. Syn: Allurement; enticement; charm.
Cap"il*la*ry\ (k[a^]p"[i^]l*l[asl]*r[y^] or k[.a]*p[i^]l"l[.a]*r[y^]; 277), a. [L. capillaris, fr. capillus hair. Cf. Capillaire.]1. Resembling a hair; fine; minute; very slender; having minute tubes or interspaces; having very small bore; as, the capillary vessels of animals and plants. 2. Pertaining to capillary tubes or vessels; as, capillary action. Capillary attraction, Capillary repulsion, the apparent attraction or repulsion between a solid and liquid caused by capillarity. See Capillarity, and Attraction. Capillarity tubes. See the Note under Capillarity.
Chem"ic*al\, a. Pertaining to chemistry; characterized or produced by the forces and operations of chemistry; employed in the processes of chemistry; as, chemical changes; chemical combinations. Chemicalattraction or affinity. See under Attraction.
Co*he"sive\, a. 1. Holding the particles of a homogeneous body together; as, cohesive attraction; producing cohesion; as, a cohesive force. 2. Cohering, or sticking together, as in a mass; capable of cohering; tending to cohere; as, cohesive clay. Cohesive attraction. See under Attraction. -- Co*he"sive*ly, adv. -- Co*he"sive*ness, n.
Di`a*mag*net"ic\, a. Pertaining to, or exhibiting the phenomena of, diamagnetism; taking, or being of a nature to take, a position at right angles to the lines of magnetic force. See Paramagnetic. Diamagnetic attraction. See under Attraction.
E*lect"ive\, a. [Cf. F. ['e]lectif.]1. Exerting the power of choice; selecting; as, an elective act. 2. Pertaining to, or consisting in, choice, or right of choosing; electoral. The independent use of their elective franchise. --Bancroft. 3. Dependent on choice; bestowed or passing by election; as, an elective study; an elective office. Kings of Rome were at first elective; . . . for such are the conditions of an elective kingdom. --Dryden. Elective affinity or attraction (Chem.), a tendency to unite with certain things; chemism.
Grav"i*ta"tion\, n. [Cf. F. gravitation. See Gravity.]1. The act of gravitating. 2. (Pysics) That species of attraction or force by which all bodies or particles of matter in the universe tend toward each other; called also attraction of gravitation, universal gravitation, and universal gravity. See Attraction, and Weight.Law of gravitation, that law in accordance with which gravitation acts, namely, that every two bodies or portions of matter in the universe attract each other with a force proportional directly to the quantity of matter they contain, and inversely to the squares of their distances.
Mag*net"ic\, Magnetical \Mag*net"ic*al\, a. [L. magneticus: cf. F. magn['e]tique.]1. Pertaining to the magnet; possessing the properties of the magnet, or corresponding properties; as, a magnetic bar of iron; a magnetic needle. 2. Of or pertaining to, or characterized by, the earth's magnetism; as, the magnetic north; the magnetic meridian. 3. Capable of becoming a magnet; susceptible to magnetism; as, the magnetic metals. 4. Endowed with extraordinary personal power to excite the feelings and to win the affections; attractive; inducing attachment. She that had all magnetic force alone. --Donne. 5. Having, susceptible to, or induced by, animal magnetism, so called; as, a magnetic sleep. See Magnetism. Magnetic amplitude, attraction, dip, induction, etc. See under Amplitude, Attraction, etc. Magnetic battery, a combination of bar or horseshoe magnets with the like poles adjacent, so as to act together with great power. Magnetic compensator, a contrivance connected with a ship's compass for compensating or neutralizing the effect of the iron of the ship upon the needle. Magnetic curves, curves indicating lines of magnetic force, as in the arrangement of iron filings between the poles of a powerful magnet. Magnetic elements. (a) (Chem. Physics) Those elements, as iron, nickel, cobalt, chromium, manganese, etc., which are capable or becoming magnetic. (b) (Physics) In respect to terrestrial magnetism, the declination, inclination, and intensity. (c) See under Element. Magnetic equator, the line around the equatorial parts of the earth at which there is no dip, the dipping needle being horizontal. Magnetic field, or Field of magnetic force, any space through which magnet exerts its influence. Magnetic fluid, the hypothetical fluid whose existence was formerly assumed in the explanations of the phenomena of magnetism. Magnetic iron, or Magnetic iron ore. (Min.) Same as Magnetite. Magnetic needle, a slender bar of steel, magnetized and suspended at its center on a sharp-pointed pivot, or by a delicate fiber, so that it may take freely the direction of the magnetic meridian. It constitutes the essential part of a compass, such as the mariner's and the surveyor's. Magnetic poles, the two points in the opposite polar regions of the earth at which the direction of the dipping needle is vertical. Magnetic pyrites. See Pyrrhotite. Magnetic storm (Terrestrial Physics), a disturbance of the earth's magnetic force characterized by great and sudden changes. Magnetic telegraph, a telegraph acting by means of a magnet. See Telegraph.
Mag*net"ic\, Magnetical \Mag*net"ic*al\, a. [L. magneticus: cf. F. magn['e]tique.]1. Pertaining to the magnet; possessing the properties of the magnet, or corresponding properties; as, a magnetic bar of iron; a magnetic needle. 2. Of or pertaining to, or characterized by, the earth's magnetism; as, the magnetic north; the magnetic meridian. 3. Capable of becoming a magnet; susceptible to magnetism; as, the magnetic metals. 4. Endowed with extraordinary personal power to excite the feelings and to win the affections; attractive; inducing attachment. She that had all magnetic force alone. --Donne. 5. Having, susceptible to, or induced by, animal magnetism, so called; as, a magnetic sleep. See Magnetism. Magnetic amplitude, attraction, dip, induction, etc. See under Amplitude, Attraction, etc. Magnetic battery, a combination of bar or horseshoe magnets with the like poles adjacent, so as to act together with great power. Magnetic compensator, a contrivance connected with a ship's compass for compensating or neutralizing the effect of the iron of the ship upon the needle. Magnetic curves, curves indicating lines of magnetic force, as in the arrangement of iron filings between the poles of a powerful magnet. Magnetic elements. (a) (Chem. Physics) Those elements, as iron, nickel, cobalt, chromium, manganese, etc., which are capable or becoming magnetic. (b) (Physics) In respect to terrestrial magnetism, the declination, inclination, and intensity. (c) See under Element. Magnetic equator, the line around the equatorial parts of the earth at which there is no dip, the dipping needle being horizontal. Magnetic field, or Field of magnetic force, any space through which magnet exerts its influence. Magnetic fluid, the hypothetical fluid whose existence was formerly assumed in the explanations of the phenomena of magnetism. Magnetic iron, or Magnetic iron ore. (Min.) Same as Magnetite. Magnetic needle, a slender bar of steel, magnetized and suspended at its center on a sharp-pointed pivot, or by a delicate fiber, so that it may take freely the direction of the magnetic meridian. It constitutes the essential part of a compass, such as the mariner's and the surveyor's. Magnetic poles, the two points in the opposite polar regions of the earth at which the direction of the dipping needle is vertical. Magnetic pyrites. See Pyrrhotite. Magnetic storm (Terrestrial Physics), a disturbance of the earth's magnetic force characterized by great and sudden changes. Magnetic telegraph, a telegraph acting by means of a magnet. See Telegraph.
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