tract
I. tract1 (trăkt)n. 1. a. An expanse of land or water. b. A specified or limited area of land: developing a 30-acre tract. 2. Anatomy. a. A system of organs and tissues that together perform a specialized function: the alimentary tract. b. A bundle of nerve fibers having a common origin, termination, and function. 3. Archaic. A stretch or lapse of time. [Middle English, period of time, from Latin tractus, course, space, period of time, from past participle of trahere, to draw.] II. tract2 (trăkt)n. A leaflet or pamphlet containing a declaration or appeal, especially one put out by a religious or political group. [Middle English tracte, treatise, probably short for Latin tractātus, from past participle of tractāre, to discuss frequentative of trahere, to draw.] III. tract3 (trăkt)n. The verses from Scripture sung during Lent or on Ember Days after the gradual in the Roman Catholic Mass. [Middle English tracte, from Medieval Latin tractus, from Latin, a drawing out (from its being an uninterrupted solo). See tract1.]
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