"Although the meanings of track and tract are distinct, their similar spellings and the fact that they both refer to structurally similar entities means that they have often been confused, and now there is a degree of blurring in their usage. So, "surgical tract" is now more common than "surgical track", even though the latter is strictly more correct. Other usages, such as needle tracts, are now commonly seen 3-6."
"Although the meanings of track and tract are distinct, their similar spellings and the fact that they both refer to structurally similar entities means that they have often been confused, and now there is a degree of blurring in their usage. So, "surgical tract" is now more common than "surgical track", even though the latter is strictly more correct. Other usages, such as needle tracts, are now commonly seen 3-6."
"The water is also muddied further since "sinus tract" is the correct term for the pathologically formed path in some inflammatory conditions, which resembles a fistula but is open at one end only. This can result in the correct yet potentially confusing phrase that "the pus tracks along the sinus tract." The track formed by a fistula is also - correctly - called a fistulous tract."
"Conversely, "tract" is derived from the Latin word "tractus" which means - somewhat ironically - track! Tractus comes from the verb "trahere" meaning to pull or draw 7."
Expected headings
"Track"
"Tract"
"Despite their superficial similarity in spelling, track and tract have different and unrelated etymologies 7."