tract

¹ American  

[trakt] / trækt /

noun

1. an expanse or area of land, water, etc.; region; stretch.

   Synonyms:

   territory, district

2. Anatomy.

   1. a definite region or area of the body, especially a group, series, or system of related parts or organs.

      the digestive tract.

   2. 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.

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tract ² American  

[trakt] / trækt /

noun

1. a brief treatise or pamphlet for general distribution, usually on a religious or political topic.

   Synonyms:

   disquisition, homily, essay

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tract ¹ British  

/ trækt /

noun

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

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tract ² British  

/ trækt /

noun

1. a treatise or pamphlet, esp a religious or moralistic one

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tract ³ British  

/ trækt /

noun

1. RC Church an anthem in some Masses

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tract Scientific  

/ trăkt /

1. A series of body organs that work together to perform a specialized function, such as digestion.

2. A bundle of nerve fibers, especially in the central nervous system, that begin and end in the same place and share a common function.

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Etymology

Origin of tract¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; (in senses referring to extent of space) from Latin tractus “stretch (of space or time), a drawing out,” equivalent to trac-, variant stem of trahere “to draw” + -tus suffix of verbal action; tract ¹ def. 4 is from Medieval Latin tractus, apparently identical with the above, though literal sense unexplained

Origin of tract²

1400–50; late Middle English tracte, apparently shortening of Medieval Latin tractātus tractate

Explanation

A tract is a large, open piece of land — like that tract of farmland you bought when you decided your dream in life was to raise llamas. Tract is also a word for a short pamphlet or booklet, like that tract you recently read entitled "The Care and Feeding of Llamas." In addition to referring to areas of land and small booklets, the word tract can describe complicated systems or structures in the body. If you were to unwind your intestine, an important part of your digestive tract, it would not stretch across a large tract of land, but only 25-28 feet — but that's still pretty long! (You probably don't need to read a tract on human anatomy to realize this would be an unhealthy experiment.)

Example Sentences

Resuming his polio project after the war, he concluded by the early 1950s that eradication would only be achieved if transmission could be prevented through halting viral replication in the gastrointestinal tract.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 21, 2026

"We now see between one and two a month that have significant levels of damage to their urinary tract."

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Any large discrepancies will be resolved by recounting the tract.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

This can put a strain on their respiratory tract, making them more susceptible to heatstroke.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

Some mistook cervical infections for cancer and removed a woman’s entire reproductive tract when all she needed was antibiotics.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Related Words

• estate
• expanse
• parcel
• plot
• portion
• section