From Latin 'attrahere' (to draw toward) — part of the vast -tract family from 'trahere': extract, distract, contract, tractor.
Definition
To draw or pull toward oneself or itself; to evoke interest, admiration, or desire in someone.
The Full Story
Latin15th centurywell-attested
From Latin "attractus," past participle of "attrahere" meaning "to draw toward, to pull to oneself," composed of "ad-" (to, toward) and "trahere" (to draw, to pull, to drag). Latin "trahere" derives from Proto-Indo-European *treh₂gʰ- (to draw, to drag, to pull), a root whose exact reflexes are debated but which likely producedOld Irish "traig" (foot — from the dragged limb?), and may connect to a broader cluster of traction
Did you know?
Newton never used theword 'attract' in its modern gravitational sense until the Principia (1687). Before that, 'attraction' in English referred to the mysterious power of amber rubbed with cloth to draw light objects — the phenomenon that also gave us the word 'electricity' (from Greek 'elektron,' amber).
"attracted" others by sympathetic affinity. The interpersonal sense of physical or emotional attraction developed by the 16th century. Newton's use of "attraction" in the Principia (1687) to describe gravity gave the word its scientific foundation. The semantic arc moves from physical dragging (*treh₂gʰ-) through magnetic pulling (attrahere) to emotional and intellectual magnetism (an attractive idea). Key roots: trahere (Latin: "to draw, to pull, to drag"), ad- (Latin: "to, toward"), *tragh- (Proto-Indo-European: "to draw, to drag").
trahere(Latin (to draw, pull))traire(Old French (to draw, to milk))traer(Spanish (to bring))trarre(Italian (to draw, pull))trail(English (from Old French, to drag))