attract

attract, allure, charm, captivate, fascinate, enchant mean to draw another by exerting a powerful influence. attract applies to any degree or kind of ability to exert influence over another <students attracted by the school's locale>. allure implies an enticing by what is fair, pleasing, or seductive <an alluring smile>. charm implies the power of casting a spell over the person or thing affected and so compelling a response <charmed by their hospitality>, but it may, like captivate, suggest no more than evoking delight or admiration <her performances captivated audiences>. fascinate suggests a magical influence and tends to stress the ineffectiveness of attempts to resist <a story that continues to fascinate children>. enchant is perhaps the strongest of these terms in stressing the appeal of the agent and the degree of delight evoked in the subject <hopelessly enchanted by her beauty>.

The Latin word tractus, meaning “pulled” or “dragged,” gives us the root tract. Words from the Latin tractus have to do with being pulled or dragged. To attract is to pull or draw towards you. To distract is to pull someone's attention away from something. To extract is to pull one thing out of another. To subtract is to pull a portion or number away from a group or from a whole.