tract
1 Americannoun
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Anatomy.
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a definite region or area of the body, especially a group, series, or system of related parts or organs.
the digestive tract.
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a bundle of nerve fibers having a common origin and destination.
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Roman Catholic Church. an anthem consisting of verses of Scripture, sung after the gradual in the Mass from Septuagesima until the day before Easter and on certain other occasions, taking the place of the alleluias and the verse that ordinarily accompany the gradual.
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Ornithology. a pteryla.
noun
noun
noun
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an extended area, as of land
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anatomy a system of organs, glands, or other tissues that has a particular function
the digestive tract
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a bundle of nerve fibres having the same function, origin, and termination
the optic tract
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archaic an extended period of time
noun
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A series of body organs that work together to perform a specialized function, such as digestion.
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A bundle of nerve fibers, especially in the central nervous system, that begin and end in the same place and share a common function.
Etymology
Origin of tract1
First recorded in 1350–1400; (in senses referring to extent of space) from Latin tractus “stretch (of space or time), a drawing out,” equivalent to trac-, variant stem of trahere “to draw” + -tus suffix of verbal action; tract 1 def. 4 is from Medieval Latin tractus, apparently identical with the above, though literal sense unexplained
Origin of tract2
1400–50; late Middle English tracte, apparently shortening of Medieval Latin tractātus tractate
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We lived in a three-bedroom tract house that looked like all the others on our street.
But the New Mexico State Land Commission cancelled the leases in September 2019 after the office determined that Epstein had used the tract as a privacy buffer - not for ranching or agriculture.
From BBC
It is typically attributed to slow movement in the intestines, meaning food and waste do not travel through the digestive tract quickly enough.
From Science Daily
Mining, plantations, and fires have caused the clearance of large tracts of lush Indonesian rainforest, removing trees that absorbed rain and helped stabilise soil.
From Barron's
Such genetic damage may increase the likelihood of cancers affecting the central nervous system, digestive tract, and blood-forming tissues.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
