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.
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.