ATTRACTION

attraction, attractiveness

(noun) the quality of arousing interest; being attractive or something that attracts; “her personality held a strange attraction for him”

attraction, attractor, attracter, attractive feature, magnet

(noun) a characteristic that provides pleasure and attracts; “flowers are an attractor for bees”

attraction

(noun) an entertainment that is offered to the public

attraction, attractive force

(noun) the force by which one object attracts another

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

attraction (countable and uncountable, plural attractions)

The tendency to attract.

The feeling of being attracted.

(countable) An event, location, or business that has a tendency to draw interest from visitors, and in many cases, local residents.

(chess) The sacrifice of pieces in order to expose the enemy king.

Synonyms

• charm

• pull

Antonyms

• repulsion

Anagrams

• tractation

Source: Wiktionary


At*trac"tion, n. Etym: [L. attractio: cf. F. attraction.]

1. (Physics)

Definition: An invisible power in a body by which it draws anything to itself; the power in nature acting mutually between bodies or ultimate particles, tending to draw them together, or to produce their cohesion or combination, and conversely resisting separation.

Note: Attraction is exerted at both sensible and insensible distances, and is variously denominated according to its qualities or phenomena. Under attraction at sensible distances, there are, --(1.) Attraction of gravitation, which acts at all distances throughout the universe, with a force proportional directly to the product of the masses of the bodies and inversely to the square of their distances apart. (2.) Magnetic, diamagnetic, and electrical attraction, each of which is limited in its sensible range and is polar in its action, a property dependent on the quality or condition of matter, and not on its quantity. Under attraction at insensible distances, there are, -- (1.) Adhesive attraction, attraction between surfaces of sensible extent, or by the medium of an intervening substance. (2.) Cohesive attraction, attraction between ultimate particles, whether like or unlike, and causing simply an aggregation or a union of those particles, as in the absorption of gases by charcoal, or of oxygen by spongy platinum, or the process of solidification or crystallization. The power in adhesive attraction is strictly the same as that of cohesion. (3.) Capillary attraction, attraction causing a liquid to rise, in capillary tubes or interstices, above its level outside, as in very small glass tubes, or a sponge, or any porous substance, when one end is inserted in the liquid. It is a special case of cohesive attraction. (4.) Chemical attraction, or affinity, that peculiar force which causes elementary atoms, or groups of atoms, to unite to form molecules.

2. The act or property of attracting; the effect of the power or operation of attraction. Newton.

3. The power or act of alluring, drawing to, inviting, or engaging; an attractive quality; as, the attraction of beauty or eloquence.

4. That which attracts; an attractive object or feature.

Syn.

– Allurement; enticement; charm.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 December 2024

QUANDONG

(noun) Australian tree having hard white timber and glossy green leaves with white flowers followed by one-seeded glossy blue fruit


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Coffee Trivia

Plain brewed coffee contains almost no calories, while coffee with dairy products, sugar, and other flavorings is much higher in calories. An espresso has 20 calories. A nonfat latte has 72, while a flavored one has 134.

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