| Text |
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary pro·tract
\\prō-ˈtrakt, prə-\\ transitive verb ETYMOLOGY Latin protractus, past participle of protrahere, literally, to draw forward, from pro- forward + trahere to draw — more at pro- DATE 1540 1. archaic : delay , defer 2. to prolong in time or space : continue 3. to extend forward or outward — compare retract 1 Synonyms: see extend
• pro·trac·tive \\-ˈtrak-tiv\\ adjective protract
1535 (implied in protraction), "prolongation, extension of time," from L.L. protractionem "a drawing out or lengthening," from pp. stem of protrahere, from pro- "forward" + trahere "to draw" (see tract (1)). Etymologically identical with portray, which was altered in French. Protractor "one who lengthens (an action)" is from 1611; sense of "instrument for drawing angles" first recorded 1658. Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged pro·tractI. \prō.ˈtrakt, prə.ˈ-\ transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: Latin protractus, past participle of protrahere to draw before, protract, from pro- pro- (I) + trahere to draw — more at trace 1. archaic : to put off to a later time : delay , defer
< attempted, however, to prevent, or at least to protract, his ruin — Edward Gibbon >2. : to draw out or lengthen in time or space : continue , prolong
< the trial must not be protracted in duration by anything that is obstructive or dilatory — R.H.Jackson >3. : to draw to a scale : lay down the lines and angles of with scale and protractor : plot Synonyms: see extend II. transitive verb: to extend forward or outward < the mandible is protracted and retracted in chewing >
|