different between terrain vs tract

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French terrain, from Latin terrenum (“land, ground”), neuter of terrenus (“consisting of earth”), from terra (“earth”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t?.?re?n/
• Rhymes: -e?n

Noun

terrain (countable and uncountable, plural terrains)

1. (geology) A single, distinctive rock formation; an area having a preponderance of a particular rock or group of rocks.
2. An area of land or the particular features of it.

Synonyms

• ground

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• terrain in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• rantier, retrain, trainer

French

Etymology

From Old French terrain, terrein, from Vulgar Latin *terranum, from Latin terr?num.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t?.???/

Noun

terrain m (plural terrains)

1. ground, landscape
2. field (as in soccer field)

3. lot, plot, parcel

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Czech: terén
• Norwegian:

  ? Norwegian Bokmål: terreng

  ? Norwegian Nynorsk: terreng

• ? Swedish: terräng

Further reading

• “terrain” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• rentrai, ternira, trainer, traîner

Romansch

Alternative forms

• terren (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan)
• taragn (Sutsilvan)
• teragn (Surmiran)

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *terranum, from Latin terrenum.

Noun

terrain m (plural terrains)

1. (Puter, Vallader) land, soil
2. (Puter) country, land

   Synonym: (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader) pajais

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t?ækt/
• Homophone: tracked
• Rhymes: -ækt

Etymology 1

From tractate, from Latin tractatus, or borrowed from Latin tractus, the perfect passive participle of trah?. Doublet of trait.

Noun

tract (plural tracts)

1. An area or expanse.
   • a very high mountain joined to the mainland by a narrow tract of earth

   • 1662, Thomas Fuller, History of the Worthies of England

     small tracks of ground

2. A series of connected body organs, as in the digestive tract.
3. A small booklet such as a pamphlet, often for promotional or informational uses.
4. A brief treatise or discourse on a subject.
   • 1731, Jonathan Swift, The Presbyterians Plea of Merit

     The church clergy at that writ the best collection of tracts against popery that ever appeared.

5. A commentator's view or perspective on a subject.
6. Continued or protracted duration, length, extent
   • 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 2, ch. XIV, Henry of Essex

     Nay, in another case of litigation, the unjust Standard bearer, for his own profit, asserting that the cause belonged not to St. Edmund’s Court, but to his in Lailand Hundred, involved us in travellings and innumerable expenses, vexing the servants of St. Edmund for a long tract of time […]

7. Part of the proper of the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations, used instead of the alleluia during Lenten or pre-Lenten seasons, in a Requiem Mass, and on a few other penitential occasions.
8. (obsolete) Continuity or extension of anything.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Older to this entry?)

9. (obsolete) Traits; features; lineaments.
   • 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Simulation and Dissimulation

     The discovery of a man's self by the tracts of his countenance is a great weakness.

10. (obsolete) The footprint of a wild animal.

    • The Prophet Telemus […] mark'd the Tracts of every Bird that flew

11. (obsolete) Track; trace.
    • c. 1605–1608, William Shakespeare, Timon of Athens

      But flies an eagle flight, bold, and forth on, / Leaving no tract behind.

12. (obsolete) Treatment; exposition.
    • 1613, William Shakespeare, Henry VIII, Act I, Scene I

      The tract of every thing Would, by a good discourser, lose some life Which action's self was tongue to.

Synonyms

• (series of connected body organs): system

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Latin tractus, the participle stem of trahere (“to pull, drag”).

Verb

tract (third-person singular simple present tracts, present participle tracting, simple past and past participle tracted)

1. (obsolete) To pursue, follow; to track.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, II.i:

     Where may that treachour then (said he) be found, / Or by what meanes may I his footing tract?

2. (obsolete) To draw out; to protract.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Ben Jonson to this entry?)

Anagrams

• T-cart

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English tract.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t?akt/

Noun

tract m (plural tracts)

1. flyer, circular, pamphlet

Derived terms

• tracter

Further reading

• “tract” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).