adduct

IPA/əˈdʌkt/
KK[ˈædəkt]IPA/əˈdʌkt/

adduct — verb

  • adductpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • adducts3rd person singular
  • adducting-ing form
  • adductedpast simple

1. to move an arm, leg, finger, or other body part inward toward the body's center

1.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to move an arm, leg, finger, or other body part inward toward the body's center line, or closer to the part beside it

Example

The therapist asked Mateo to adduct his left knee during the balance test.

adduct + body part in a rehab setting

After the strain, Salma could not adduct her shoulder without sharp pain.

Common collocations
  • adduct the knee
  • adduct the shoulder
  • adduct the hip
  • adduct the thumb
Synonyms
  • draw inward

    plain-English explanation used outside anatomy

  • bring in

    informal everyday phrasing, not the technical medical term

Antonyms
  • abduct

    technical opposite in anatomy; it moves the body part away from the center line

Grammar Patterns

adduct + [body part]

[person] adducts + possessive + [body part]

Usage Note

Used mainly in anatomy, physiotherapy, and sports medicine. The object is usually a limb or digit; the opposite movement is abduct, which takes the body part away from the body's center line.

Common Mistakes

The therapist asked Lena to abduct her knees together.
The therapist asked Lena to adduct her knees together.
'adduct' means move a body part inward, while 'abduct' means move it outward.

adduct — noun

Word family

  • adduction
    nounC2
  • adductor
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

In chemistry, an adduct is a product formed when two substances join directly and remain associated as one chemical species. Addition product is a near-paraphrase that explains the same idea more transparently, but adduct is the shorter label scientists often use in papers and lab talk. Mixture is much broader: two substances in the same container can make a mixture without forming a new product at all. If the reaction creates a distinct combined species, adduct is the precise term; if the substances are only together physically, mixture is safer.

adduct ↗addition productmixture ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • form an adduct
  • adduct the shoulder

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The anatomical verb comes from Latin adducere, meaning 'to lead or draw toward'. The chemistry noun is a later scientific use built on the idea of one substance being brought onto another in a reaction.