protract

C2+ Topic:Time

US /proʊˈtrækt/ UK /prəˈtrækt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to prolong or lengthen in duration

They sought to protract the negotiations indefinitely.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to prolong or lengthen in... prolong extend lengthendraw outcontinuespin outelongate

Opposites

shorten curtail abbreviate truncate

Word family

Derived forms protractionprotractorprotracted

Related forms tractorextract retract abstract

Etymology

From Latin protractus, past participle of protrahere ('to draw forth, lengthen'), from pro- ('forth') + trahere ('to draw, drag').

protrahere Latin trahere Latin *tragʰ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

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# protract

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /proʊˈtrækt/
**IPA (UK):** /prəˈtrækt/

## Meanings
1. to prolong or lengthen in duration

## Examples
- They sought to protract the negotiations indefinitely.

## Synonyms
- prolong
- extend
- lengthen
- draw out
- continue
- spin out
- elongate

## Antonyms
- shorten
- curtail
- abbreviate
- truncate

## Derived Forms
- protraction
- protractor
- protracted

## Related Forms
- tractor
- extract
- retract
- abstract

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: protrahere
- Root: trahere
- Root: *tragʰ-

## Etymology
From Latin protractus, past participle of protrahere ('to draw forth, lengthen'), from pro- ('forth') + trahere ('to draw, drag').

## AI Etymology
Protract comes from Latin protractus, past participle of protrahere ('to draw forth, lengthen'), from pro- ('forth') + trahere ('to draw, drag'). The historical chain includes Latin protrahere, Latin trahere, and Proto-Indo-European *tragʰ-. The quoted older senses, "to draw forth, lengthen", "forth", and "to draw, drag", supply the semantic anchors for protract. The formation is best read as compound, participial, and borrowed: the word protract carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a verb, "to prolong or lengthen in duration". English derivatives include protraction, protractor, and protracted; related English forms include tractor, extract, retract, and abstract. The result is a verb whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization.

## Topics
- Time

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protract

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