Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Traction has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
the friction between a body and the surface on which it moves (as between an automobile tire and the road)
"The car struggled to gain traction on the icy road, causing it to skid out of control."
(orthopedics) the act of pulling on a bone or limb (as in a fracture) to relieve pressure or align parts in a special way during healing
"his leg was in traction for several days"
The act of pulling something along a surface using motive power.
"The tractor's engine provided enough traction to pull the heavy wagon up the steep hill."
In plain English: Traction is when something grips enough to move forward without slipping.
"The tires lost traction on the icy road and slid sideways."
Usage: In technical contexts regarding vehicles or machinery, "traction" refers specifically to the grip between tires and the road that enables movement. In medical settings, it denotes the mechanical force applied to a broken bone during treatment.
To apply a sustained pull to (a limb, etc.).
"The physical therapist applied gentle traction to his fractured leg to realign the bone fragments."
In plain English: To traction is to pull something so that it moves forward without slipping.
"The car lost traction on the icy road and slid into the ditch."
The word traction comes from the Medieval Latin tractio, which was formed by adding a noun suffix to the root meaning "to pull." It entered English with this original sense of pulling or drawing something.