[tract] n, often cap [ME tracte, fr. ML tractus, fr. L, action of drawing, extension; perh. fr. its being sung without a break by one voice] (14c): verses of Scripture (as from the Psalms) used between the gradual and the Gospel at some masses (as during penitential seasons)
[2]tract n [ME tracte, fr. L tractus action of drawing, extension, fr. trahere to pull, draw] (15c) 1: extent or lapse of time
2: an area either large or small: as a: an indefinite stretch of land b: a defined area of land 3 a: a system of body parts or organs that act together to perform some function "the digestive ~" b: a bundle of nerve fibers having a common origin, termination, and function [3]tract n [ME, treatise, modif. of L tractatus tractate] (1760): a pamphlet or leaflet of political or religious propaganda; also: a piece of writing that is suggestive of such a tract