Tractor

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈtɹæktə/

Definitions

1. A vehicle specifically engineered for towing agricultural machinery and performing heavy farming operations
2. An engine-driven vehicle designed for the primary purpose of pulling implements used in agriculture and other heavy-duty tasks
3. A powerful motor vehicle intended for hauling farming equipment and executing various labor-intensive agricultural functions

Etymology: The word is a plain formation: it combines the Latin "tractus," the past participle of "trahere" ("to pull" or "to draw"), with the agent suffix "-or," which marks something that performs an action. A tractor is, quite literally, a thing that pulls, and the design is named for the job of hauling loads behind it. The surprise lies in how little the name has changed in purpose. Its earliest senses were about traction itself, the pulling force, rather than a machine. The term was then applied to the powered farm vehicle that took over the work of draft animals, so a Latin verb for dragging or drawing ended up naming the engine that replaced the horse at the plough.

Synonyms: farm vehicle, agricultural vehicle, haulage, towing vehicle