traction

noun

1. the adhesive friction of a body on some surface, as a wheel on a rail or a tire on a road.
2. the action of drawing a body, vehicle, train, or the like, along a surface, as a road, track, railroad, or waterway.
3. Medicine/Medical. the deliberate and prolonged pulling of a muscle, organ, or the like, as by weights, to correct dislocation, relieve pressure, etc.
4. transportation by means of railroads.
5. the act of drawing or pulling.
6. the state of being drawn.
7. attracting power or influence; attraction.

noun

1. the act of drawing or pulling, esp by motive power
2. the state of being drawn or pulled
3. med the application of a steady pull on a part during healing of a fractured or dislocated bone, using a system of weights and pulleys or splints
4. the adhesive friction between a wheel and a surface, as between a driving wheel of a motor vehicle and the road

n.

early 15c., “a drawing or pulling” (originally the pulling of a dislocated limb to reposition it), from Medieval Latin tractionem (nominative tractio) “a drawing” (mid-13c.), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin trahere “to pull, draw” (see tract (n.1)). Sense of “rolling friction of a vehicle” first appears 1825.

n.

1. The act of drawing or pulling.
2. A pulling force.
3. A sustained pull applied mechanically, especially to the arm, leg, or neck, to correct fractured or dislocated bones, to overcome muscle spasms, or to relieve pressure.

1. Static friction, as of a wheel on a track or a tire on a road. See more at friction.
2. A sustained pulling force applied mechanically to a part of the body by means of a weighted apparatus in order to correct the position of fractured or dislocated bones, especially of the arm, leg, or neck.