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Origin and history of tract

tract(n.1)

[area], mid-15c., "extent, continued passage or duration," in phrase tract of time "period or lapse of time" (now obsolete), from Latin tractus "course, progress, movement, a train or course, a space drawn out, duration," etymologically "a drawing out or pulling," from stem of trahere "to pull, draw." This is said [Watkins] to be from a PIE root *tragh- "to draw, drag, move" (source also of Slovenian trag "trace, track," Middle Irish tragud "ebb;" perhaps with a variant form *dhragh-; see drag (v.)). Compare trait and trace (n.1).

The meaning "territory, region of indefinite extent, stretch of land or water" in English is recorded by 1550s. Latin tractus also had a sense of "territory, district, region of land." The specific U.S. sense of "plot of land for development" is recorded from 1912; tract housing is attested by 1953.

Also by 1680s in anatomy, in reference to regions of the body having particular functions (digestive, respiratory, etc.).

also from mid-15c.

tract(n.2)

"little book on a particular topic, short treatise" late Old English tracte, probably a shortened form of Latin tractatus "a handling, treatise, treatment," from tractare "to handle" (see treat (v.)).

Also in liturgy, an anthem consisting of verses of Scripture used at certain occasions. In later use, "a short pamphlet" (by 1806). Related: Tractarian.

also from mid-12c.

Entries linking to tract

drag(v.)

late 14c., draggen, "to draw a grapnel along the bottom of a river, lake, etc., in search of something;" late 15c., "to draw away by force, pull haul," from Old Norse draga, or a dialectal variant of Old English dragan "to draw," both from Proto-Germanic *draganan "to draw, pull," perhaps from a PIE *dhregh- "to draw, drag on the ground" (source also of Sanskrit dhrajati "pulls, slides in," Russian drogi "wagon," doroga "way;" connection to Latin trahere "to draw" is possible but problematic).

Meaning "draw (feet, tails, etc.) along slowly" is from 1580s; intransitive sense of "move heavily or slowly, hang with its weight while moving or being moved" is by 1660s. Meaning "to take a puff" (of a cigarette, etc.) is from 1914. Related: Dragged; dragging. Drag-out "violent fight" is from c. 1859. To drag (one's) feet (1946 in the figurative sense "delay deliberately") supposedly is from logging, from a lazy way to use a two-man saw.

trace(n.1)

[track made by passage] mid-13c., "mark or sign left by the passage of something," c. 1300, from Old French trace "mark, imprint, tracks" (12c.), back-formation from tracier (see trace (v.)).

By c. 1300 specifically as "human track or trail, track left by an animal's movements;" by mid-14c. as "a footstep." As "beaten path through a wild region" by 1807. Traces "vestiges indicating a former presence" is by c. 1400.

The scientific sense of "indication of minute presence in some chemical compound" is from 1827. Hence trace (adj.) "present or required only in minute amounts" (1832).