tract
Meaning: A short written work, especially one expressing a strong opinion on a political or religious subject; also, an area or stretch of land or a system of connected organs.
In its literary sense, a tract is a polemical pamphlet designed to persuade. The Oxford Tracts of the 1830s and 1840s (Tracts for the Times) gave their name to the Tractarian movement in the Church of England. The word has a faintly archaic flavour, suggesting earnest advocacy. The geographical sense (a tract of land) and anatomical sense (the digestive tract) are etymologically related but semantically distinct.
Examples
- The 18th-century reformer published a fiery tract demanding the abolition of the slave trade. 那位18世纪的改革者发表了一篇慷慨激昂的文章,要求废除奴隶贸易。El reformador del siglo XVIII publicó un encendido opúsculo exigiendo la abolición del comercio de esclavos.その18世紀の改革者は奴隷貿易の廃止を求める激烈なパンフレットを発表した。그 18세기 개혁가는 노예 무역의 폐지를 요구하는 격렬한 팸플릿을 발표했다.
- Environmental campaigners distributed tracts outside the conference centre calling for immediate action on emissions. 环保活动人士在会议中心外散发宣传册,呼吁立即采取减排行动。Los activistas medioambientales repartieron panfletos a las puertas del centro de conferencias pidiendo medidas inmediatas contra las emisiones.環境活動家たちは会議場の外で排出量の即時削減を訴えるビラを配布した。환경 운동가들은 회의장 밖에서 배출량의 즉각적인 감축을 촉구하는 전단을 배포했다.
- The pamphlet read more like a political tract than a balanced analysis of the issue. 这份小册子读起来更像一篇政治宣传文,而非对该问题的平衡分析。El folleto se leía más como un panfleto político que como un análisis equilibrado de la cuestión.その冊子はこの問題の客観的な分析というよりも、政治的なパンフレットのように読めた。그 소책자는 이 문제에 대한 균형 잡힌 분석이라기보다는 정치적 팸플릿에 가깝게 읽혔다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: literary, political, historical
Tone: neutral
Origin & History
From Latin tractatus (a handling, treatise), from tractare (to handle, discuss). The sense of a stretch of land comes from a different Latin root, tractus (a drawing out, extent).
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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