What does "abduct" mean?

1. (to kidnap) to take someone away by force or by tricking them, often illegally. 2. (to move a limb away) to move a part of your body, like an arm or leg, away from the middle of your body.

abduct

US //æbˈdəkt// UK //ɐbdˈʌkt// abduct

1 to kidnap (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Formal Law

to take someone away by force or by tricking them, often illegally.

to carry off a person by force, lead away wrongfully, or seize by illegal means. Transitive; requires a direct object.

Example

The police believe the child was abducted from the park yesterday afternoon.

Example

The suspect was charged with conspiracy to abduct the diplomat, though the defense argued that no physical force had been applied during the incident.
- release
- return
2 to move a limb away (v.)
C1 Advanced Technical Medicine

to move a part of your body, like an arm or leg, away from the middle of your body.

to move a limb or other body part away from the median axis of the body. Transitive; used primarily in clinical or anatomical descriptions.

Example

The doctor asked the patient to abduct her arm to check her shoulder.

Example

The physical therapist noted that the patient could not fully abduct the left hip without experiencing significant sharp pain in the gluteal region.
- adduct

Origin

From Latin abductus, perfect passive participle of abduco (“to lead away”), from ab (“away”) + duco (“to lead”). * (physiology): Back-formation from abduction.

Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object. In its anatomical sense, it is often contrasted with 'adduct'.