Abduction

Abduction: No less an authority than Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines "abduction" as (1) the action of abducting: the condition of being abducted (and) (2) the unlawful carrying away of a woman for marriage or intercourse. In medicine, the word "abduction" has an entirely different meaning. It refers to the movement of a limb sideways away from the midline of the body. Abduction of the legs serves to spread the legs. The opposite of abduction in this sense is adduction. Adduction of the legs brings the legs together. The word ôabductionö comes from the Latin prefix ôab-ô meaning ôaway fromö + ôducereö meaning ôto draw or leadö = ôto draw away from.ö