traction
n 1: the friction between a body and the surface on which it
moves (as between an automobile tire and the road) [syn:
{grip}, {traction}, {adhesive friction}]
2: (orthopedics) the act of pulling on a bone or limb (as in a
fracture) to relieve pressure or align parts in a special way
during healing; "his leg was in traction for several days"
Traction \Trac"tion\, n. [L. trahere, tractum, to draw: cf. F.
traction.]
1. The act of drawing, or the state of being drawn; as, the
traction of a muscle.
[1913 Webster]
2. Specifically, the act of drawing a body along a plane by
motive power, as the drawing of a carriage by men or
horses, the towing of a boat by a tug.
[1913 Webster]
3. Attraction; a drawing toward. [R.]
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4. The adhesive friction of a wheel on a rail, a rope on a
pulley, or the like; as, the car is stuck in the snow
because it can;t get any traction. --Knight.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
{Angle of traction} (Mech.), the angle made with a given
plane by the line of direction in which a tractive force
acts.
{Traction engine}, a locomotive for drawing vehicles on
highways or in the fields.
[1913 Webster]
42 Moby Thesaurus words for "traction": adduction, adhesion, advantage, affinity, allurement, attractance, attraction, attractiveness, attractivity, capillarity, capillary attraction, centripetal force, draft, drag, draw, drawing, drayage, extraction, foothold, footing, friction, gravitation, gravity, grip, haulage, hauling, heaving, hold, magnetism, mutual attraction, pull, pulling, pulling power, purchase, sympathy, toehold, towage, towing, tractive power, tug, tug-of-war, tugging