adduction

noun

ad·​duc·​tion ə-ˈdək-shən How to pronounce adduction (audio)
a-
1
: the action of adducting : the state of being adducted
2
: the act or action of adducing

Examples of adduction in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The pec major is responsible for adduction of the arm (movement in toward the body's midline) and rotation of the arm forward, while the pec minor is responsible for moving your ribs and shoulders. Brett Williams, Men's Health, 6 Sep. 2023 Just for some context: Muscles in and around your hip are responsible for adduction and abduction, or moving the legs toward and away from the center of the body, respectively. Cori Ritchey, Men's Health, 24 Aug. 2023 What’s adduction? David Otey, Men's Health, 28 Dec. 2022 That forceful lowering action is adduction. David Otey, Men's Health, 28 Dec. 2022 That’s because one of the functions of the pectorals is to bring your arms toward the midline of the body—this is referred to as adduction or convergence; picture hugging a big Redwood tree—and this function isn’t required during a regular bench press, straight up-and-down movement. Mitch Calvert, Men's Health, 28 Nov. 2022 The latissimus is a powerful muscle that depresses the clavicle and scapula—the shoulder girdle—and lifts the waist up to the arms, while also pulling the upper arm bones toward the trunk and into shoulder extension and adduction (see the illustration below). Esther Smith, Outside Online, 9 Sep. 2022 No finger ab/adduction, only two DOFs in the thumb—no chance of doing anything human-level dexterous here. Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 4 Oct. 2022 The pec major is tasked with adduction of the arm (movement in toward the body) and rotation of the arm forward, along with assisting other muscles in pulling the trunk up when your arms are above your head. Brett Williams, Men's Health, 7 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adduction.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English adduccioun "act of conveying," borrowed from Medieval Latin adductiōn-, adductiō, going back to Late Latin, "attraction, contraction," from Latin addūcere "to lead or bring (to a place)," + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at adduce

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of adduction was in 1649

Dictionary Entries Near adduction

Cite this Entry

“Adduction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adduction. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

adduction

noun
ad·​duc·​tion ə-ˈdək-shən, a- How to pronounce adduction (audio)
: the action of adducting : the state of being adducted

More from Merriam-Webster on adduction

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