abˈdəkshən, əb- noun
( -s )
Etymology: in sense 1, from French, from Latin abductus + French -ion; in sense 2, from Late Latin abduction-, abductio, from Latin abductus + -ion-, -io -ion; in sense 3, from New Latin abduction-, abductio (translation of Greek apagōgē ), from Latin abductus + -ion-, -io -ion
1. : the action of abducting or condition of being abducted
abduction of a limb
2. : the unlawful carrying away of a man's wife or child or ward for the purpose of marriage or immoral intercourse — variously defined in statutory law but generally stated to include taking away or detention of a woman under a certain age, usually 16 or 18, with or without her consent or knowledge of her age; compare kidnap
3. : a syllogism in which the major premise is evident but the minor premise and therefore the conclusion only probable — called also apagoge