tract
Use Tract in a sentence
noun
1.
an expanse or area of land, water, etc.; region; stretch.
2.
Anatomy.
a.
a definite region or area of the body, especially a group, series, or system of related parts or organs: the digestive tract.
b.
a bundle of nerve fibers having a common origin and destination.
3.
a stretch or period of time; interval; lapse.
4.
Roman Catholic Church. an anthem consisting of verses of Scripture, sung after the gradual in the Mass from Septuagesima until the day before Easter and on certain other occasions, taking the place of the alleluias and the verse that ordinarily accompany the gradual.
5.
Ornithology. a pteryla.
Origin:
1350–1400; (in senses referring to extent of space) < Latin tractus stretch (of space or time), a drawing out, equivalent to trac-, variant stem of trahere to draw + -tus suffix of v. action; (def 4) < Medieval Latin tractus, apparently identical with the above, though literal sense unexplained
1350–1400; (in senses referring to extent of space) < Latin tractus stretch (of space or time), a drawing out, equivalent to trac-, variant stem of trahere to draw + -tus suffix of v. action; (def 4) < Medieval Latin tractus, apparently identical with the above, though literal sense unexplained
Synonyms
1. district, territory.
1. district, territory.
00:10
Tract
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
a brief treatise or pamphlet for general distribution, usually on a religious or political topic.
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English tracte, apparently shortening of Medieval Latin tractātus tractate
1400–50; late Middle English tracte, apparently shortening of Medieval Latin tractātus tractate
Synonyms
essay, homily, disquisition.
essay, homily, disquisition.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Tract
Collins
World English Dictionary
tract1 (trækt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | an extended area, as of land |
| 2. | anatomy a system of organs, glands, or other tissues that has a particular function: the digestive tract |
| 3. | a bundle of nerve fibres having the same function, origin, and termination: the optic tract |
| 4. | archaic an extended period of time |
| [C15: from Latin tractus a stretching out, from trahere to drag] | |
| tract2 (trækt) | |
| —n | |
| a treatise or pamphlet, esp a religious or moralistic one | |
| [C15: from Latin tractātus | |
| tract3 (trækt) | |
| —n | |
| RC Church an anthem in some Masses | |
| [C14: from Medieval Latin tractus cantus extended song; see | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tract
"area," 1494, "period or lapse of time," from L. tractus "track, course, space, duration," lit, "a drawing out or pulling," from stem of trahere "to pull, draw," from PIE base *tragh- "to draw, drag, move" (cf. Slovenian trag "trace, track," M.Ir. tragud "ebb," with variant form *dhragh-; see
drag). The meaning "stretch of land or water" is first recorded 1553. Specific U.S. sense of "plot of land for development" is recorded from 1912; tract houses attested from 1963.
tract
"little book," early 15c., probably a shortened form of L. tractatus "a handling, treatise, treatment," from tractare "to handle" (see treat). Not in any other language, according to OED.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
tract (trākt)
n.
An elongated assembly of tissue or organs having a common origin, function, and termination, or a serial arrangement having a common function.
A bundle of nerve fibers having a common origin, termination, and function.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
tract (trākt) Pronunciation Key
|
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Car-centered living and ubiquitous tract housing, on the other hand, look more and more absurd.
Have the monitoring team devise methods for monitoring the status of the species on a tract of land in your community.
It has gold and the country's largest tract of arable land.
Take the vast triangular tract of land at the south of the map.
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