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contraption

 - 3 dictionary results

con⋅trap⋅tion

  [kuhn-trap-shuhn]
Use contraption in a Sentence
–noun Informal.
a mechanical contrivance; gadget; device.
Origin:
1815–25; perh. contr(ivance) + (ad)aption, var. of adaptation

Related forms:
con⋅trap⋅tious, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To contraption
con·trap·tion   (kən-trāp'shən)   
n.  A mechanical device; a gadget.

[Perhaps mock-Latinate blend of contrive and trap1.]
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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Word Origin & History

contraption 
1825, western England dialect, origin obscure, perhaps from con(trive) + trap, or deception.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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