abduction
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1 kidnapping (n.) B2 Upper Intermediate Lawthe act of taking someone away by force, often illegally.
the illegal and typically forcible carrying off of a person.
ExampleThe police are investigating the abduction of a local businessman.
ExampleThe high-profile abduction prompted an immediate nationwide alert, as authorities feared the victim would be moved across the border before dawn.
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2 moving a limb away (n.) C1 Advanced Technical Medicinethe movement of a part of your body away from the middle of your body.
the movement of a limb or other part away from the midline of the body or from another part.
ExampleThe doctor tested the abduction of my arm to check for shoulder damage.
ExampleThe patient demonstrated limited abduction of the hip joint, suggesting significant inflammation within the surrounding connective tissues.
UsageThe term is the functional opposite of adduction.
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3 by aliens (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatethe act of being taken away by creatures from another planet.
the alleged kidnapping of a human being by extraterrestrial beings.
ExampleHe claimed he was a victim of alien abduction while driving home.
ExampleThe documentary explores various accounts of alien abduction, focusing on the psychological impact these experiences have on the claimants.
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4 logical reasoning (n.) C2 Proficiency Academic Technical Sciencea way of reasoning that starts with an observation and seeks the most likely explanation.
a form of logical inference which starts with an observation then seeks to find the simplest and most likely explanation.
ExampleThe detective used abduction to guess how the thief entered the locked room.
ExampleScientific discovery often relies on abduction to generate new hypotheses that can later be tested through more rigorous deductive methods.
UsageOften contrasted with deduction and induction in philosophical contexts.
From Latin abductiō(n) (“robbing; abduction”), from abdūcō (“take or lead away”), from ab (“away”) + dūcō (“to lead”). By surface analysis, abduct + -ion or abduce + -tion. * (physiology): From French, from Latin abductus. * Compare French abduction.