abductor

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a person who unlawfully carries someone away and holds them captive

   Investigators traced the ransom call to the child's abductor.

2. 2
   noun

   a muscle that moves a body part away from the body's midline or another reference axis

   The physiotherapist prescribed exercises to strengthen the hip abductor.

Appears in

From Medieval Latin abductor, one who leads away, from Latin abducere, to lead away, plus the agent suffix -tor. Anatomy adopted the term for a muscle that draws a limb or other part away from the body's midline; adductor names the opposing action.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary