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Contraction

 - 7 dictionary results

con⋅trac⋅tion

[kuhn-trak-shuhn]
–noun
1. an act or instance of contracting.
2. the quality or state of being contracted.
3. a shortened form of a word or group of words, with the omitted letters often replaced in written English by an apostrophe, as e'er for ever, isn't for is not, dep't for department.
4. Physiology. the change in a muscle by which it becomes thickened and shortened.
5. a restriction or withdrawal, as of currency or of funds available as call money.
6. a decrease in economic and industrial activity (opposed to expansion ).

Origin:
1375–1425; late ME (< MF) < L contractiōn- (s. of contractiō), equiv. to contract(us) drawn together, ptp. of contrahere (see contract ) + -iōn- -ion


con⋅trac⋅tion⋅al, adjective


Contractions such as isn't, couldn't, can't, weren't, he'll, they're occur chiefly, although not exclusively, in informal speech and writing. They are common in personal letters, business letters, journalism, and fiction; they are rare in scientific and scholarly writing. Contractions occur in formal writing mainly as representations of speech.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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con·trac·tion   (kən-trāk'shən)   
n.  
  1. The act of contracting or the state of being contracted.

    1. A word, as won't from will not, or phrase, as o'clock from of the clock, formed by omitting or combining some of the sounds of a longer phrase.

    2. The formation of such a word.

  2. Physiology The shortening and thickening of functioning muscle or muscle fiber.

  3. A period of decreased business activity.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Financial Dictionary

Contraction

A period of general economic decline. It is one of the four stages of the business cycle.

Investopedia Commentary

Contractions sometimes lead to a recession.

Related Links

Recession: What Does It Mean To Investors?

See also: Business Cycle, Recession

Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: con·trac·tion
Pronunciation: k&n-'trak-sh&n
Function: noun
1 : the action or process of contracting : thestate of being contracted
2 : the shortening and thickening of a functioning muscle or muscle fiber
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

contraction con·trac·tion (kən-trāk'shən)
n.

  1. The act of contracting or the state of being contracted.

  2. The shortening and thickening of functioning muscle or muscle fiber.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
contraction   (kən-trāk'shən)  Pronunciation Key 
The shortening and thickening of a muscle for the purpose of exerting force on or causing movement of a body part. See more at muscle.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Computing Dictionary

contraction
reduction

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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