traction

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun the friction between a body and the surface on which it moves (as between an automobile tire and the road)
noun (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

From Medieval Latin tractio, from Latin tractus, perfect passive participle of verb trahere (“pull”), + noun of action suffix -io (genitive -ionis).

Compare traction, tractor, attract, extract, subtract. — Stories from Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore
"Why, the treasurer of the traction company." — The Rover Boys on the Farm; or, Last Days at Putnam Hall, Edward Stratemeyer
And it was Sanders got the Street Traction deal. — Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis

grip, adhesive friction

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