contraction
[ kuh n-trak-shuh n ]
/ kənˈtræk ʃən /
noun
an act or instance of contracting.
the quality or state of being contracted.
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.
Physiology. the change in a muscle by which it becomes thickened and shortened.
a restriction or withdrawal, as of currency or of funds available as call money.
a decrease in economic and industrial activity (opposed to expansion).
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Is It Tis Or ‘Tis?What does ‘tis mean? ‘Tis, as in “`tis the season” is an old—very old—contraction of it is. The apostrophe replaces the i in the word it to create ’tis . . . not quite how we create contractions today. According to Google’s Ngram Viewer, the contraction ’tis was a fan favorite in the early 1700s. At this time, it was likely used more often than it’s. Why is ’tis used? ‘Tis …
RELATED WORDS
recession, shrinkage, reduction, decrease, deflation, condensation, reducing, compression, abridgment, evaporation, confinement, lessening, abbreviation, narrowing, omission, curtailment, withdrawal, diminution, shrinking, constriction
Nearby words
- contracted kidney,
- contracted pelvis,
- contractedly,
- contractile,
- contractile vacuole,
- contraction joint,
- contractive,
- contractively,
- contractor,
- contractual
Origin of contraction
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for contraction
contraction
/ (kənˈtrækʃən) /
noun
an instance of contracting or the state of being contracted
physiol any normal shortening or tensing of an organ or part, esp of a muscle, e.g. during childbirth
pathol any abnormal tightening or shrinking of an organ or part
a shortening of a word or group of words, often marked in written English by an apostropheI've come for I have come
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
contraction
late 14c., "action of making a contract" (especially of marriage), also "action of shrinking or shortening," from Old French contraction (13c.), or directly from Latin contractionem (nominative contractio), noun of action from past participle stem of contrahere (see contract (n.)). Meaning "action of acquiring (a disease) is from c.1600. Grammatical sense is from 1706; meaning "a contracted word or words" is from 1755. Contractions of the uterus in labor of childbirth attested from 1962.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
contraction
[ kən-trăk′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.
contraction
[ kən-trăk′shən ]
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 © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
contraction
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 New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.