tract

[ trakt ]

/ trækt /

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noun

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

Anatomy.

a definite region or area of the body, especially a group, series, or system of related parts or organs: the digestive tract.
a bundle of nerve fibers having a common origin and destination.

a stretch or period of time; interval; lapse.

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.

Ornithology. a pteryla.

OTHER WORDS FOR tract

1 district, territory.

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QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of tract

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; def. 4 is from Medieval Latin tractus, apparently identical with the above, though literal sense unexplained

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tract

track, tract

Words nearby tract

track suit, track system, track-train dynamics, trackwalker, trackway, tract, tractable, Tractarian, Tractarianism, tractate, tract house

Other definitions for tract (2 of 2)

tract²

[ trakt ]

/ trækt /

noun

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

OTHER WORDS FOR tract

essay, homily, disquisition.

See synonyms for tract on Thesaurus.com

Origin of tract

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use tract in a sentence

Finally, some biologists argue for preserving vast tracts of wilderness not yet altered by human activity.
Can people protect as much space as nature needs?|Jonathan Lambert|January 21, 2021|Science News For Students
As soon as it gets turned on by one virus, any other virus that comes along and tries to grow in the respiratory tract can’t.
Coronavirus shutdowns have quashed nearly all other common viruses. But scientists say a rebound is coming.|Dan Hurley|January 12, 2021|Washington Post
It’s just that despite years of research into the use of vitamin D in respiratory tract infections, there still hasn’t really been a clear, slam-dunk answer that there’s benefit.
Vitamin D sales are up. But experts still don’t know whether it can prevent or treat covid.|Allyson Chiu|January 11, 2021|Washington Post
The Nature Conservancy partnered with the American Forest Foundation to create a new offset protocol designed to allow owners of small tracts of wooded land to earn credits for taking steps to suck up and store more carbon.
How Amazon’s offsets could exaggerate its progress toward “net zero” emissions|James Temple|November 2, 2020|MIT Technology Review

In other words, “Knives Out” sought to work as entertainment, not as a social tract or policy prescription.
Movies are rushing to impact the election. Don’t ask whether they’ll work. Ask whether they’ll last.|Ann Hornaday|October 30, 2020|Washington Post
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract performs different digestive functions are various different locations.
‘Rectal Feeding’ Has Nothing to Do with Nutrition, Everything to Do with Torture|Russell Saunders|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On a 2,813-acre tract roughly 30 miles west, Washington found a Calvinist sect called the Seceders squatting on his land.
Washington’s Wheeler-Dealer Patriotism|William O’Connor|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A procedure to reopen his urinary tract could have been done under local anesthesia.
Ayatollah Khamenei’s Cancer Scare|IranWire|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Please note that I made a contribution after reading the tract, i.e., I too am a hug-a-whale sort of guy.
Blame Climate Change for Your Terrible Seasonal Allergies|Kent Sepkowitz|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For Coming Soon, Gordon's initial plan was to make and then display her wreath paintings in a low-budget California tract house.
Kim Gordon: Going Solo After Sonic Youth, and Why She Identifies With ‘Girls’|Andrew Romano|April 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is often present in the respiratory tract under normal conditions.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Their usual source is the deeper layers of the urinary tract, especially of the bladder.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
In suppurations of the urinary tract pus-producing organisms may be found.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Barclay, in his tract on "The Vertues of Tobacco," recommends its use as a medicine.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Then I ditch from the lake, and I am the proud owner of a large tract of valuable irrigated land.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for tract (1 of 3)

tract¹

/ (trækt) /

noun

an extended area, as of land

anatomy a system of organs, glands, or other tissues that has a particular functionthe digestive tract

a bundle of nerve fibres having the same function, origin, and terminationthe optic tract

archaic an extended period of time

Word Origin for tract

C15: from Latin tractus a stretching out, from trahere to drag

British Dictionary definitions for tract (2 of 3)

tract²

/ (trækt) /

noun

a treatise or pamphlet, esp a religious or moralistic one

Word Origin for tract

C15: from Latin tractātus tractate

British Dictionary definitions for tract (3 of 3)

tract³

/ (trækt) /

noun

RC Church an anthem in some Masses

Word Origin for tract

C14: from Medieval Latin tractus cantus extended song; see tract 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for tract

tract

[ trăkt ]

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.

Scientific definitions for tract

tract

[ trăkt ]

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

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

tract

OTHER WORDS FOR tract

Origin of tract

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tract

Words nearby tract

Other definitions for tract (2 of 2)

OTHER WORDS FOR tract

Origin of tract

Words related to tract

How to use tract in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tract (1 of 3)

Word Origin for tract

British Dictionary definitions for tract (2 of 3)

Word Origin for tract

British Dictionary definitions for tract (3 of 3)

Word Origin for tract

Medical definitions for tract

Scientific definitions for tract