Abduction

abduction

---

1 a : the action of abducting [ of a robbery victim]
b : the tort or felony of abducting a person
2 : the unlawful carrying away of a wife or female child or ward for the purpose of marriage or sexual intercourse NOTE: Sense 2 has its roots in common law. As statutorily defined, mainly in the nineteenth century, abduction is generally stated to include taking away or detention of a woman under a certain age, usually 16 or 18, with or without her consent or knowledge of her age.