protraction

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /proʊˈtrækʃən/ UK /prəˈtrækʃən/ See IPA manual

Freq #423641

Meanings

1

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

The protraction of the negotiations exhausted both delegations.
2

noun
the forward movement or positioning of an anatomical part

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

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the act of prolonging... prolongation extension lengthening delay

2 noun · the forward movement or... forward movementprotrusion

3 noun · the plotting of a land... plottingscale drawing

Opposites

shorteningcurtailment retraction

Word family

Derived forms protractiveoverprotraction

Related forms protract prolong retraction extension

Etymology

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.

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# protraction

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /proʊˈtrækʃən/
**IPA (UK):** /prəˈtrækʃən/
**Frequency rank:** 423641

## Meanings
1. the act of prolonging something or the state of being extended in time
2. the forward movement or positioning of an anatomical part
3. the plotting of a land survey or measured area to scale

## Examples
- The protraction of the negotiations exhausted both delegations.
- Reaching forward requires protraction of the shoulder blades around the rib cage.
- The surveyor completed the protraction of the field boundaries on the map.

## Synonyms
- prolongation
- extension
- lengthening
- delay
- forward movement
- plotting

## Antonyms
- shortening
- curtailment
- retraction

## Derived Forms
- protractive
- overprotraction

## Related Forms
- protract
- prolong
- retraction
- extension

## Etymology
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.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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