tractor

Etymology

Formed from Latin tractus, perfect passive participle of trahere (“to pull”), + agent noun suffix -or.

noun

1. (agriculture) A vehicle used in farms e.g. for pulling farm equipment and preparing the fields.
2. (agriculture) A movable coop without a floor to allow for free ranging.
3. (US) A truck (or lorry) for pulling a semi-trailer or trailer.
4. Any piece of machinery that pulls something.
5. (aviation) An aeroplane where the propeller is located in front of the fuselage.
6. (UK, rail transport) A British Rail Class 37 locomotive.
   On the other hand the EE type 3's have offered in a 1750 hp package, probably the most successful loco BR bought. As any crew will tell you a tractor will pull anything anywhere, and yet at the same time they were nippy enough for use on the Anglian mainlines for 20 years. 1995-05-23, Andrew Cooke, “Re: British Rail: At Last The 1948 Show”, in misc.transport.rail.europe (Usenet)
   With a recent email from Mike Tetlow, I found out that there were two other 37s [37252 and 37031] present that day, also shuttling between Cambridge and Kings Lynn. As you correctly observe, the pic of little me shows that I am in a Dutch liveried tractor. 2000-04-25, Grandpops, “Calling Norfolk tractor bashers with a good brain for numbers! Possible conclusion?”, in uk.railway (Usenet)
   EWS are also denying any rumours of tractors going to Spain, then again they denyed the rumours of tractors going to France until the contract was signed! 2000-05-17, Matt, “Re: "Unfixing" Class 37s and Doncaster control (rant!!)”, in uk.railway (Usenet)
7. (archaic) A metal rod used in tractoration, or Perkinism.

verb

1. (transitive, agriculture) To prepare (land) with a tractor.
2. (transitive, science fiction) To move with a tractor beam.
3. (transitive, medicine, archaic) To treat by means of tractoration, or Perkinism.