Added 9 October 2026
contraction
/kənˈtɹækʃn̩/ noun
In Latin: contractiō Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about contraction at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- (physiology) a shortening or tensing of a part or organ (especially of a muscle or muscle fiber).
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The process or result of becoming smaller or pressed together.
the contraction of a gas on cooling
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A word formed from two or more words by omitting or combining some sounds.
`won't' is a contraction of `will not'
Origin
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”)).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)