Dictionary

contraction en · NOUN

Pronunciation

/kənˈtɾakʃn̩/ (Wales)
/kɔn-/ (British, Southern, Standard)
/kɒn-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
/kənˈtɹækʃn̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
/kɔn-/ (Scotland)
/kənˈtɾakʃn̩/ (Scotland)
(Southern-England) audio
/kənˈtɹakʃn̩/ (British, Southern, Standard)
/kənˈtɹækʃ(ə)n/ (General-American)
/kɒn-/ (Wales)

Etymology

PIE word *ḱóm From Late Middle English contraccioun, contraxion (“spasm, contraction; constriction, shrinking; act of pressing together”), from Old French contraction (modern French contraction), from Latin contractiō(n) (“a drawing together, contraction; abridgement, shortening; dejection, despondency”), from contrahō (“to draw things together, assemble, collect, gather; to enter into a contract”) + -tiō(n) (suffix forming nouns relating to actions or their results). Contrahō is derived from con- (prefix denoting a bringing together of objects) + trahō (“to drag, pull”) (probably from Proto-Indo-European *dʰregʰ- (“to drag, pull; to run”)). By surface analysis, contract + -ion (suffix denoting actions or processes, or their results).

Meanings

(countable, uncountable) Senses relating to becoming involved with or entering into, especially entering into a contract. ▸ An act of incurring debt; also (generally), an act of acquiring something (generally negative).
- Our contraction of debt in this quarter has reduced our ability to attract investors.
(archaic, countable, uncountable) Senses relating to becoming involved with or entering into, especially entering into a contract. ▸ An act of entering into a contract or agreement; specifically, a contract of marriage; a contracting; also (obsolete), a betrothal.
(countable, uncountable) Senses relating to becoming involved with or entering into, especially entering into a contract. ▸ The process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease.
- Railway workers were therefore a perfect subject for research, given the varied roles they undertook. If infection was greatest among the non-public-facing staff, it would suggest – given most worked outside – that contraction was caused by something found in the "atmosphere at large". If affliction was higher among the indoor and public-facing staff, it would suggest that human contact was the cause. And it was the latter point that was proven. 2020 April 8, David Turner, “How Railway Staff were Conduits and Victims of a Pandemic”, in Rail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 32:
- the contraction of malaria
(archaic, countable, obsolete, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening. ▸ A (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume; a narrowing, a shortening, a shrinking. ▸ An abridgement or shortening of writing, etc.; an abstract, a summary; also (uncountable), brevity, conciseness.
(countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening. ▸ A (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume; a narrowing, a shortening, a shrinking. ▸ A stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together.
(countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening. ▸ A (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume; a narrowing, a shortening, a shrinking. ▸ A shortening of a muscle during its use; specifically, a strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth.
- Though occasionally a “flatliner” can be revived with a defib, it is most commonly used to change the uncoordinated contractions of the heart (fibrillation) into a normal sinus rhythm—that is, to defibrillate the heart. 2011, Laurence Street, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering Technology, second edition (hardcover), Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 125:
(countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening. ▸ A (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume; a narrowing, a shortening, a shrinking. ▸ A period of economic decline or negative growth.
- The country’s economic contraction was caused by high oil prices.
(countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening. ▸ A (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume; a narrowing, a shortening, a shrinking. ▸ A process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme (a word) are reduced or lost, such that it becomes a bound morpheme (a clitic) that attaches phonologically to an adjacent word.
- In the English words didn’t, that’s, and wanna, the endings -n’t, -’s, and -a arose by contraction.
(countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening. ▸ A (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume; a narrowing, a shortening, a shrinking. ▸ In the English language: a shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark.
- Don’t is a contraction of do not; and ’til is a contraction of until.
- You would not use "it's" in this case / As a possessive (No, no, no) / It's a contraction (Yeah, ye) 2014, "Weird Al" Yankovic, “Word Crimes”:
(countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening. ▸ A (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume; a narrowing, a shortening, a shrinking. ▸ Synonym of syncope (“the elision or loss of a sound from the interior of a word, especially of a vowel sound with loss of a syllable”).
(countable, of an ideal in the codomain of a ring homomorphism, qualifier:ring theory, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening. ▸ A (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume; a narrowing, a shortening, a shrinking. ▸ The preimage of the given ideal under the given homomorphism.
(broadly, countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening. ▸ A (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume; a narrowing, a shortening, a shrinking. ▸ A shorthand symbol indicating an omission for the purpose of brevity.
(countable, obsolete, rare, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening. ▸ An act of collecting or gathering.

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
contractions	Number=Plur		lexicographic

Translations (178)

fr contraction (shortening of a muscle during its use) · pl forma ściągnięta (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · de Kontraktion (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · ja 陣痛 (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · de Geburtswehe (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · de Verengung (shortening of a muscle during its use) · de Anspannung (shortening of a muscle during its use) · es contracción (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · sv kontraktion (shortening of a muscle during its use) · sv sammandragning (shortening of a muscle during its use) · tg дардгирӣ ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · hu összehúzódás (shortening of a muscle during its use) · fr contraction ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · fi lähentyminen (stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together) · tr kısaltma (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · hu összehúzódás ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · cy cywasgiad (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · fi supistus (shortening of a muscle during its use) · pt contração (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · no forminskning ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · ky кыскаруу ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · ko 위축 (shortening of a muscle during its use) · fi lyhennemerkki (shorthand symbol indicating an omission for the purpose of brevity) · id kontraksi ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · ja 攣縮 (shortening of a muscle during its use) · it contrazione (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · de Kontraktion ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · it contrazione (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · fi tartunta (process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease) · ja 収縮 ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · es contracción (shortening of a muscle during its use) · hu recesszió (period of economic decline or negative growth) · nl samentrekking (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · hu megfertőződés (process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease) · sh контра̀кција (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · mk скрату́вање (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · de Verkleinerung ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · bg контракция (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · la contractiō ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · de Zusammenziehung (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · de Ansteckung (process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease) · hu szóösszevonás (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · de Verkürzung ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · fi supistus (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · fi supistuminen (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · tl daginsin ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · de Zusammenziehung (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · he התכווצות ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · oc contraccion (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · es contracción (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · ko 단축 ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · no kontraksjon ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · de Rückgang (period of economic decline or negative growth) · he התכווצות (shortening of a muscle during its use) · de Stauchung ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · de Abnahme ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · uk скорочення (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · hu izom-összehúzódás (shortening of a muscle during its use) · de Schwinden ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · hu fertőződés (process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease) · pt contração (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · uz qisqarish ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · de Einschnürung (shortening of a muscle during its use) · br gwaskadenn (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · th การหดตัว ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · no kontraksjon (shortening of a muscle during its use) · ca contracció (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · sh kontràkcija (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · pt contração (process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease) · hu méhösszehúzódás (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · mi kukutinga (shortening of a muscle during its use) · de Schrumpfung (stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together) · sv kontraktion ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · de Kontamination (act of incurring debt; act of acquiring something (generally negative)) · it contrazione ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · my ကျုံ့ခြင်း ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · ca contracció ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · de Zusammenziehung (shortening of a muscle during its use) · de Abschwung (period of economic decline or negative growth) · ca contracció (shortening of a muscle during its use) · ky кыскаруу (process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease) · fi kontraktio (stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together) · pl kontrakcja (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · de Kontraktion (shortening of a muscle during its use) · es contracción ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · ru сокраще́ние ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · de Infektion (process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease) · mk контра́кција (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · ca contracció (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · nl wee (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · bg скъсяване ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · ja 約音化 (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · mk за́раза (process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease) · de Schrumpfung ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · bg свиване (shortening of a muscle during its use) · no sammentrekning (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · pt contração (shortening of a muscle during its use) · oc contraccion (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · de Kontraktur (stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together) · de Zusammenziehen (shortening of a muscle during its use) · mi kukutinga (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · fi kontraktio (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · fr contraction (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · fi kontraktio (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · de Minderung ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · pt contração (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · no sammentrekning (shortening of a muscle during its use) · oc contraccion ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · no sammentrekning (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · fr contraction (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · ro contracție ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · hu fájás (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · hu összevonás (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · sh trúdovi (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · ru стяже́ние (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · uz qisqarish (stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together) · fi lihassupistus (shortening of a muscle during its use) · fi taantuma (period of economic decline or negative growth) · de Erwerb (process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease) · pt crispação (shortening of a muscle during its use) · ko 단축어 (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · de Kontraktur (shortening of a muscle during its use) · oc contraccion (period of economic decline or negative growth) · mk заразу́вање (process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease) · pt contração ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · de Zuziehung (shortening of a muscle during its use) · my ကျုံ့ခြင်း (stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together) · sv sammandragning (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · de Verkürzung (shortening of a muscle during its use) · de Wehe (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · sh тру́дови (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · af verkleining ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · da sammentrækning (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · tr kısaltma (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · cy cyfangiad (shortening of a muscle during its use) · hu összehúzás ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · hu fertőzés (process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease) · sv sammandragning (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · bg съкращение (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · hu kontrakció (shortening of a muscle during its use) · de Infektion (act of incurring debt; act of acquiring something (generally negative)) · kmr girjbûn (shortening of a muscle during its use) · my ချုံ့ခြင်း (stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together) · oc contraccion (shortening of a muscle during its use) · cy cywasgiad (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · de Abnehmen ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · fi supistuminen ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · de Erwerb (act of incurring debt; act of acquiring something (generally negative)) · fi synnytyssupistus (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · de Schrumpfen ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · ru сжа́тие ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · hu összevont alak (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · ru сокраще́ние (shortening of a muscle during its use) · ca contracció (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · es contracción (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · de Zusammenziehung ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · fr contraction (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · ja 短縮形 (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · fi supistumamuoto (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · cmn 收縮 /收缩 ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · hu szülési fájás (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · sv minskning ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · hu visszaesés (period of economic decline or negative growth) · ru сокраще́ние (strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth) · de Schwindung ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · de Annahme (act of incurring debt; act of acquiring something (generally negative)) · de Verengung ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · mk скрату́вање ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · fr contraction (period of economic decline or negative growth) · hu összevonódás (process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost) · bg свиване ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · de Schrumpfung (period of economic decline or negative growth) · fi tarttuminen (process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease) · da sammentrækning (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark) · ru сжа́тие (shortening of a muscle during its use) · de Rezession (period of economic decline or negative growth) · my ချုံ့ခြင်း ((sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume) · ru сокраще́ние (shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark)

contraction en · NOUN

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Translations (178)