protraction
/prəˈtrakʃ(ə)n
/noun [mass noun]
1The action of prolonging something or the state of being prolonged: the protraction of the war...
- Imagine them denuded of even the attenuated r and r release that they are allowed there; imagine their seemingly infinite protraction.
- Such mathematical protraction excites the studious poker mind of the Wimbledon manager.
- For breast cancer a loss of local control of 3% has been described for each day of protraction between external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy boost.
2The action of extending a part of the body.Another role of the scapula involves retraction and protraction along the thoracic wall....
- Many adult frogs capture prey on land using a forward lunge of the entire body in combination with protraction of a short tongue that reaches only slightly beyond the margins of the jaws.
- Muscles necessary for the rapid dorsoventral expansion of the head are composed primarily of fast-twitch fibers while those involved in more tonic contractions such as hyoid protraction have more slow-twitch muscle fibers.
Origin
Mid 16th century: from French, or from late Latin protractio(n-), from protrahere 'prolong' (see protract).