protraction

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the act of prolonging something or the state of being extended in time

   The protraction of the negotiations exhausted both delegations.

2. 2
   noun

   the forward movement or positioning of an anatomical part

   Reaching forward requires protraction of the shoulder blades around the rib cage.

3. 3
   noun

   the plotting of a land survey or measured area to scale

   The surveyor completed the protraction of the field boundaries on the map.

From Middle French protraction and Late Latin protractio, from Latin protrahere, 'draw forward, draw out, prolong,' formed from pro- ('forward') + trahere ('draw'). That image explains both extension in time and the anatomical movement of a part forward.

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