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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.
EXPANDa restriction or withdrawal, as of currency or of funds available as call money.
Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin contractiōn- (stem of contractiō), equivalent to contract(us) drawn together, past participle of contrahere (see contract) + -iōn- -ion
1375–1425; late Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin contractiōn- (stem of contractiō), equivalent to contract(us) drawn together, past participle of contrahere (see contract) + -iōn- -ion
Related forms
con·trac·tion·al, adjective
non·con·trac·tion, noun
o·ver·con·trac·tion, noun
re·con·trac·tion, noun
Usage note
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.
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. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To contraction
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Contraction
is always a great word to know.
So is reflex. Does it mean:
| ability to perceive stimuli |
| pertaining to an involuntary response to a stimulus, in which the nerve impulse from a receptor is transmitted inward to a nerve center, then transmitted outward to an effector |
Collins
World English Dictionary
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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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
contraction
c.1600, "action of making a contract" (especially of marriage), also "action of shrinking or shortening," from Fr. contraction (13c.), from L. contractionem, noun of action from contrahere (see contract). Meaning "action of acquiring (a disease) is from 1610. Grammatical
EXPANDsense is from 1706; meaning "a contracted word or words" is from 1755. Contractions of the uterus in labor of childbirth attested from 1962.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
contraction con·trac·tion (kən-trāk'shən)
n.
The act of contracting or the state of being contracted.
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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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
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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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
contraction definition
A word produced by running two or more words together and leaving out some of the letters or sounds. For example, isn't is a contraction of is not.
Note: An apostrophe is generally used in contractions to show where letters or sounds have been left out.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
FOLDOC
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