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Con

Origin

variant of com- before a consonant (except b, h, l, p, r) and, by assimilation, before n: convene; condone; connection.

Origin:
< Latin

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Con is always a great word to know.

So is slumgullion. Does it mean:

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged

Origin:
< Latin contrā

adverb

against a proposition, opinion, etc.: arguments pro and con.

noun

the argument, position, arguer, or voter against something.

Compare pro¹.

Origin:
1575–85; short for Latin contrā in opposition, against

verb (used with object), conned, con·ning.

to learn; study; peruse or examine carefully.

to commit to memory.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English cunnen, Old English cunnan variant of can¹ in sense “become acquainted with, learn to know”

verb (used with object)

to direct the steering of (a ship).

noun

the station of the person who cons.

the act of conning.

Also, conn.

Origin:
1350–1400; earlier cond, apocopated variant of Middle English condie, condue < Middle French cond(u)ire < Latin condūcere to conduct

adjective

involving abuse of confidence: a con trick.

verb (used with object)

to swindle; trick: That crook conned me out of all my savings.

to persuade by deception, cajolery, etc.

noun

a confidence game or swindle.

a lie, exaggeration, or glib self-serving talk: He had a dozen different cons for getting out of paying traffic tickets.

Origin:
1895–1900, Americanism; by shortening of confidence

noun Slang.

a convict.

Origin:
1715–25; by shortening

verb (used with object), conned, con·ning. British Dialect.

to strike, hit, or rap (something or someone).

to hammer (a nail or peg).

to beat or thrash a person with the hands or a weapon.

Origin:
1890–95; perhaps akin to French cognée hatchet, cogner to knock in, drive (a nail) home

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Con

Collins

World English Dictionary

con¹ (kɒn)

—n
1.	a. short for confidence trick
	b. (as modifier): con man

—vb , cons, conning, conned
2.	(tr) to swindle or defraud

[C19: from confidence]

con² (kɒn)

—n
1.	an argument or vote against a proposal, motion, etc
2.	a person who argues or votes against a proposal, motion, etc

[from Latin contrā against, opposed to]

con³ (kɒn)

—n
	slang short for convict

con or esp (US) nautical conn⁴ (kɒn)

—vb , cons, conns, conning, conned
1.	(tr) to direct the steering of (a vessel)

—n
2.	the place where a person who cons a vessel is stationed

[C17 cun, from earlier condien to guide, from Old French conduire, from Latin condūcere; see conduct]

conn or esp (US) nautical conn⁴

—vb

—n

[C17 cun, from earlier condien to guide, from Old French conduire, from Latin condūcere; see conduct]

con⁵ (kɒn)

—vb , cons, conning, conned
	archaic (tr) to study attentively or learn (esp in the phrase con by rote)

[C15: variant of can¹ in the sense: to come to know]

con⁶ (kɒn)

—*prep*
	music with

[Italian]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

con-

see com-.

EXPAND

con

"negation" (mainly in pro and con), 1570s, short for L. contra "against" (see contra).

con

"study," from O.E. cunnan "to know, know how" (see can (v.)).

con

"swindle," 1889, Amer.Eng., from confidence man (1849), from the many scams in which the victim is induced to hand over money as a token of confidence. Confidence with a sense of "assurance based on insufficient grounds" dates from 1590s. Con also can be a slang or colloquial shortening of several other

con- words in English, e.g., from the 19th century, confidant, conundrum, conformist, contract, and from the 20th century, convict, conductor.

con

"to guide ships," 1626, from Fr. conduire, from L. conducere (see conduce).

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

con- pref.
Variant of com-.

Slang Dictionary

con definition

n.
a convict. : Is that guy in the gray pajamas one of the escaped cons?
n.
a confidence scheme. : They pulled a real con on the old lady.
tv.
to swindle or deceive someone. : Don't try to con me. I know the score.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

FOLDOC

Computing Dictionary

con definition

[SF fandom] A science-fiction convention. Not used of other sorts of conventions, such as professional meetings. This term, unlike many others of SF-fan slang, is widely recognised even by hackers who aren't fans. "We'd been corresponding on the net for months, then we met face-to-face at a con."
[Jargon File]

American Heritage

Abbreviations & Acronyms

con