Origin: 1620–30; < L contāctus a touching, equiv. to contāc- < *contag-, var. s. of contingere to touch (con-con-+ -tingere, comb. form of tangere to touch) + -tus suffix of v. action; cf. tango, attain
Usage note: Many verbs in English have derived from nouns. One can head an organization or toe the mark; butter the bread or bread the cutlet. Hence, grammatically at least, there is no historical justification for the once frequently heard criticism of contact used as a verb meaning “to communicate with”: The managing editor contacted each reporter personally. Despite the earlier objections to it and probably largely because there is no other one-word verb in the language to express the same idea, this use of contact has become standard in all types of speech and writing. Contact as a noun meaning “a person through whom one can gain access to information and the like” is also standard: My contact at the embassy says that the coup has been successful.
A coming together or touching, as of objects or surfaces.
The state or condition of touching or of immediate proximity: Litmus paper turns red on contact with an acid.
Connection or interaction; communication: still in contact with my former employer.
Visual observation: The pilot made contact with the ship.
Association; relationship: came into contact with new ideas at college.
A connection between two conductors that permits a flow of current or heat.
A part or device that makes or breaks such a connection.
Connection or interaction; communication: still in contact with my former employer.
Visual observation: The pilot made contact with the ship.
Association; relationship: came into contact with new ideas at college.
A connection between two conductors that permits a flow of current or heat.
A part or device that makes or breaks such a connection.
A person who might be of use; a connection: The reporter met with her contact at the mayor's office.
A connection between two conductors that permits a flow of current or heat.
A part or device that makes or breaks such a connection.
Medicine A person recently exposed to a contagious disease, usually through close association with an infected individual.
A contact lens.
v.
(kŏn'tākt', kən-tākt') con·tact·ed, con·tact·ing, con·tacts
v.
tr.
To bring or put in contact.
To get in touch with; communicate with: "This past January I was contacted by a lawyer who said he needed my help"(Elizabeth Loftus).
v.
intr. To be in or come into contact. adj.
Of, sustaining, or making contact.
Caused or transmitted by touching: a contact skin rash.
[Latin contāctus, from past participle of contingere, to touch, from past participle of contingere, to touch : com-, com- + tangere, to touch; see tag- in Indo-European roots.] con·tac'tu·al (kən-tāk'chōō-əl) adj., con·tac'tu·al·ly adv.
Usage Note: The verb contact is a classic example of a verb that was made from a noun and of a new usage that was initially frowned upon. The noun meaning "the state or condition of touching" was introduced in 1626 by Francis Bacon. Some 200 years later it spawned a verb meaning "to bring or place in contact." This sense of the verb has lived an unremarkable life in technical contexts. It was only in the first quarter of the 20th century that contact came to be used to mean "to communicate with," and soon afterward the controversy began. Contact was declared to be properly a noun, not a verb, and moreover to be vague when used as a verb. However, turning nouns into verbs is one of the most frequent ways in which new verbs enter English. Sometimes there is resistance to such verbs, but often, especially when a term seems free of association with the jargon of business or bureaucracy, acceptance comes more freely, as with curb, date, elbow, interview, panic, and park. Contact is but another instance of what linguists call functional shift from one part of speech to another. As for the vagueness of contact, this seems a virtue in an age in which forms of communication have proliferated. The sentence We will contact you when the part comes in allows for a variety of possible ways to communicate: by mail, telephone, computer, or fax. · Despite the lengthy history of disapproval of contact by language critics, the verb's usefulness and popularity appear to have worn down resistance to it. In 1969, only 34 percent of the Usage Panel accepted the use of contact as a verb, but in a recent survey 65 percent of the Panel accepted it in the sentence She immediately called an officer at the Naval Intelligence Service, who in turn contacted the FBI. See Usage Note at impact.
1626, from L. contactus "a touching," pp. of contingere "to touch, seize," from com- "together" + tangere "to touch" (see tangent). The verb is 1834, "put in contact;" meaning "get in touch with" is 1927, Amer.Eng. As a signal to the person about to spin an aircraft propeller that the ignition is switched on, the word was in use by 1913. Contact lens is first recorded 1888; short form contact is from 1961.
Main Entry: 1con·tact Pronunciation: 'kän-"takt Function: noun 1: union or junction of body surfaces contact> 2 a: the junction of two electrical conductors through which a current passes b: a special part that has been made for such a junction 3: direct experience through the senses contact with reality> 4:CONTACTLENS
Main Entry: 2contact Function: adjective : caused or transmitted by direct or indirect contact (as with an allergen or a contagious disease) contact allergy>
[kon-takt] 
