at·tract  ( ə-tr ăkt )
Share:
v. at·tract·ed, at·tract·ing, at·tracts v.tr.1. To cause to draw near or adhere by physical force: Magnetic poles are attracted to their opposites. 2. To arouse or compel the interest, admiration, or attention of: We were attracted by the display of lights. v.intr. To possess or use the power of attraction.
[Middle English attracten, from Latin attrahere, attract- : ad-, ad- + trahere, pull.]
at·tracta·ble adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
This website is best viewed in Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Safari. Some characters in pronunciations and etymologies cannot be displayed properly in Internet Explorer.