The act of taking someone away against their will, usually forcibly; or in anatomy, the movement of a limb away from the body's center.
From Latin 'abducere'—'ab' (away) plus 'ducere' (to lead). The Romans used this term for kidnapping. In anatomy, it was applied to describe muscle movements that 'lead away' from the body's midline, contrasting with 'adduction' (leading toward).
The same Latin root 'ducere' (to lead) appears in 'educate' and 'produce'—it's the root of words about leading or moving things. UFO abductions became part of popular culture in the 1950s, but the anatomical meaning is much older and more universally understood!
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