protract
[proh-trakt, pruh-]
- to draw out or lengthen, especially in time; extend the duration of; prolong.
- Anatomy. to extend or protrude.
- (in surveying, mathematics, etc.) to plot and draw (lines) with a scale and a protractor.
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Origin of protract
Synonyms
See more synonyms for protract on Thesaurus.com1. continue. See lengthen.
Antonyms
1. curtail.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for protracted
Contemporary Examples
“We need to be prepared for a protracted campaign in Gaza,” Netanyahu said Monday.
Without taking gradual steps, an individual is at increased risk of protracted PTSD and depression.
Yet four years later, after a protracted series of court fights, Mindi does not have her daughter back.
“Protracted handcuffing is liable to damage nerves that affect the functioning of the hands,” says the report.
After protracted and bitter months, we will know whether Republicans want a real chance again in presidential contests.
Historical Examples
It's a revival meeting; a protracted meeting, that's what it is.
In the Midst of AlarmsRobert Barr
I spare the reader the protracted journal of a lover's hopes and fears.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
And to a protracted residence on one of the Pamarung Islands?
The Monster MenEdgar Rice Burroughs
This, then, was the mysterious point which protracted the investigations.
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
In this tedious and protracted inquiry he had no instructor, nor assistant, nor adviser.
Self-HelpSamuel Smiles
protracted
- extended or lengthened in time; prolongeda protracted legal battle
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protract
- to lengthen or extend (a speech, etc); prolong in time
- (of a muscle) to draw, thrust, or extend (a part, etc) forwards
- to plot or draw using a protractor and scale
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin prōtrahere to prolong, from pro- 1 + trahere to drag
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for protracted
protract
v.
1530s, a back-formation from protraction and in part from Latin protractus, past participle of protrahere "to draw forth, prolong." Etymologically identical with portray, which was altered in French. Related: Protracted; protracting.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
protract
(prō-trăkt′)- To extend or protrude a body part.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.