# abduction

> English word · Noun · IPA /əbˈdʌk.ʃn̩/ · frequency rank #16,396

## Definitions
1. Leading away; a carrying away.
2. The act of abducing or abducting; a drawing apart; the movement which separates a limb or other part from the axis, or middle line, of the body.
3. A syllogism or form of argument in which the major premise is evident, but the minor is only probable.
4. The wrongful, and usually forcible, carrying off of a human being.
5. Alien abduction.

## Etymology
From Latin abductiō(n) (“robbing; abduction”), from abdūcō (“take or lead away”), from ab (“away”) + dūcō (“to lead”). By surface analysis, abduct + -ion or abduce + -tion.
* (physiology): From French, from Latin abductus.
* Compare French abduction.

## Easily confused with
- **auction** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/abduction-vs-auction)
- **addiction** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/abduction-vs-addiction)
- **abductions** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/abduction-vs-abductions)
- **abducting** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/abducting-vs-abduction)
- **abdication** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/abdication-vs-abduction)

## Common misspellings (14)
`abbduction`, `abdcution`, `abdduction`, `abducction`, `abduciton`, `abducsion`, `abductino`, `abductionn`, `abductoin`, `abducttion`, `abdutcion`, `abudction`, `adbuction`, `baduction`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/abduction