Wordwyrt

protract

/pɹəʊtˈɹækt/proh-TRAKT
/pɹoʊtˈɹækt/proh-TRAKT

Meaningto draw

Common meaning: drag out in time

‘forward, for’ + ‘to pull, drag’ → protract

Journey through time

  • pro — Latin pro- “forward, for” (path traced)
  • tract — Latin trahō, trāxī, tractum “to pull, drag” (path traced)

Parts join in Latin as trahere.

  1. Latinpro- + trahere‘forward, for + to pull, drag’source
  2. Latintrahere‘to draw’source
  3. Latinprotrahere‘to draw forward’source
  4. Latinprotractussource
  5. Englishmeaning shiftsto draw forward → drag out in timeprotract‘drag out in time’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin trahere, which Skeat analyses as pro- ‘forward, for’ + trahere ‘to pull, drag’.

Roots

Related words

traintraitcontractdistractdistractorretractsubcontract

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app