Abduction

Abduction refers to the act of taking someone away, especially by force or deception, often without consent. The term derives from Latin abductus, the past participle of abducere, meaning “to lead away.” In criminal law and everyday language, abduction ranges from kidnapping to forcible removal for coercion or ransom. In many jurisdictions, abduction is distinguished from kidnapping by context or degree; some legal codes treat kidnapping as a form of abduction.

In medicine and anatomy, abduction describes a motion that moves a limb away from the midline of the body. For example, raising the arms laterally is shoulder abduction. The muscles responsible include the deltoids and supraspinatus, among others.

In logic and philosophy, abductive reasoning or abduction is a form of inference proposed by Charles Sanders Peirce that infers a plausible explanation for surprising facts. It is distinct from deduction and induction and is central in diagnostic processes in medicine, science, and everyday problem solving.

In popular usage, the term abduction is often associated with reports of alien abductions, though such accounts are controversial and not empirically substantiated.

See also: kidnapping, abductive reasoning, limb movement.