Traction \Trac"tion\, n. [L. trahere, tractum, to draw: cf. F. traction.]

1. The act of drawing, or the state of being drawn; as, the traction of a muscle.

2. Specifically, the act of drawing a body along a plane by motive power, as the drawing of a carriage by men or horses, the towing of a boat by a tug.

3. Attraction; a drawing toward. [R.]

4. The adhesive friction of a wheel on a rail, a rope on a pulley, or the like. --Knight.

Angle of traction (Mech.), the angle made with a given plane by the line of direction in which a tractive force acts.

Traction engine, a locomotive for drawing vehicles on highways or in the fields.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)