A Tractor Is a Puller
A tractor is a vehicle built to pull. The Latin root means to drag, and it connects the tractor to attraction and extraction.
A tractor is a vehicle designed to pull heavy loads slowly. The Latin *trahere*, to drag, produced an unusually large English family: *attract* draws towards, *extract* draws out, *subtract* draws away, *contract* draws together, and a *tractor* is simply the thing that does the drawing.
- A pulling vehicle. *A farm tractor.*
- The pulling unit of a lorry. *A tractor unit.*
- Tractor beam — a fictional pulling ray. *Caught in a tractor beam.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | tractor | A vintage tractor. |
| Plural | tractors | Tractors in the yard. |
| Noun | traction | Loss of traction. |
| Related | attract | Attract attention. |
| Related | extract | Extract the data. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The tractor pulled the trailer clear.Its purpose.
- The tyres lost traction on the mud.Grip.
- The leg was put in traction.Medical: steady pulling force.
The dragging family
- Tractor — the puller
- Traction — grip, or a pulling force
- Attract — draw towards
- Subtract — draw away
- Contract — draw together, hence an agreement drawn up
From Latin *tractor*, one who draws, from *trahere*, to pull. The agricultural sense dates from around 1900, when steam and then petrol machines replaced horses.
Why is a lorry's front section called a tractor unit?
Because it is the part that pulls. The load sits in the trailer, which has no engine.
What is traction in medicine?
A steady pulling force applied to a limb, historically with weights, to hold bones in position while they heal.