A tract is a large stretch of land, usually one that hasn't been broken up into smaller pieces. When explorers in the 1800s crossed the American West, they traveled through vast tracts of wilderness. A farmer might own a small tract of farmland, while a lumber company might own enormous tracts of forest. The word emphasizes size and continuity: a tract of land runs on and on without major interruptions.

The word also appears in tract housing, which describes neighborhoods where many similar houses were built at the same time according to the same basic plan. After World War II, developers built tract after tract of new homes for returning soldiers and their families, creating whole suburbs almost overnight.

Separately, tract can mean a pamphlet or short booklet, usually on a religious or political topic. You might see someone handing out tracts on a street corner, trying to persuade passersby to consider their views. These tracts are typically brief and focused on a single message.