Abduction

Abduction
No less an authority than Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines "abduction" as (1) the action of abducting: the condition of being abducted (and) (2) the unlawful carrying away of a woman for marriage or intercourse. In medicine, the word "abduction" has an entirely different meaning. It refers to the movement of a limb sideways away from the midline of the body. Abduction of the legs serves to spread the legs. The opposite of abduction in this sense is adduction. Adduction of the legs brings the legs together. The word “abduction” comes from the Latin prefix “ab-“ meaning “away from” + “ducere” meaning “to draw or lead” = “to draw away from.”
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1. Movement of a body part away from the median plane (of the body, in the case of limbs; of the hand or foot, in the case of digits). 2. Monocular rotation (duction) of the eye toward the temple. 3. A position resulting from such movement. Cf.:adduction. [L. abductio]

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ab·duc·tion (ab-dukґshən) the act of abducting or state of being abducted.

Abduction of the fingers.


Medical dictionary. 2011.

Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Abduction — • May be considered as a public crime and a matrimonial diriment impediment Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Abduction     Abduction      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • abduction — [ abdyksjɔ̃ ] n. f. • 1541; lat. abductio ♦ Physiol. Mouvement qui écarte un membre ou une partie quelconque du plan médian du corps. ⊗ CONTR. Adduction. ● abduction nom féminin (latin abductio, action d enlever, de séparer) Mouvement qui… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • ABDUCTION — (or Manstealing; Heb. גְּנֵבַת נֶפֶשׁ, genevat nefesh), stealing of a human being for capital gain. According to the Bible, abduction is a capital offense. He who kidnaps a man – whether he has sold him or is still holding him – shall be put to… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • abduction — ab·duc·tion /ab dək shən, əb / n 1 a: the action of abducting abduction of a robbery victim b: the tort or felony of abducting a person 2: the unlawful carrying away of a wife or female child or ward for the purpose of marriage or sexual… …   Law dictionary

  • Abduction — may refer to:Abduction of a person or people* Kidnapping, as a near synonym in criminal law, but sometimes used particularly in cases involving a woman or child ** Bride kidnapping ** Child abduction, the abduction or kidnapping of a young child… …   Wikipedia

  • Abduction — Título Sin salida (España) Identidad secreta (Argentina) Sin escape (México) Ficha técnica Dirección John Singleton Producción Doug Davison …   Wikipedia Español

  • Abduction — Ab*duc tion, n. [L. abductio: cf. F. abduction.] 1. The act of abducing or abducting; a drawing apart; a carrying away. Roget. [1913 Webster] 2. (Physiol.) The movement which separates a limb or other part from the axis, or middle line, of the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • abduction — (n.) 1620s, a leading away, from L. abductionem (nom. abductio), noun of action from pp. stem of abducere to lead away, take away (often by force), from ab away (see AB (Cf. ab )) + ducere to lead (see DUKE (Cf. duke) (n.)). The illegal activity… …   Etymology dictionary

  • abduction — (18c) is the forcible leading away of a minor (with or without the minor s consent) for marriage or seduction or the breaking of a legal custodial arrangement for the children of divorced parents. Although there is some overlap in meaning with… …   Modern English usage

  • abduction — [n] taking away by force appropriation, kidnapping, rape, seizure, theft; concepts 90,139 …   New thesaurus

  • abduction — [ab duk′shən, əbduk′shən] n. [LL abductio: see ABDUCT] 1. an abducting or being abducted 2. Law the carrying off of a person by force or fraud; esp., the kidnapping of a woman for marriage, prostitution, etc. 3. Physiol. a) an abducting of a part …   English World dictionary

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