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contraption

[kuh n-trap-shuh n]
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noun Informal.

a mechanical contrivance; gadget; device.

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RELATED WORDS

rig, gadget, appliance, contrivance, gizmo, widget, apparatus, doohickey, mechanism, machine, thingamajig

Nearby words

  1. contraplete,
  2. contrapose,
  3. contraposition,
  4. contrapositive,
  5. contrapposto,
  6. contrapuntal,
  7. contrapuntist,
  8. contrarian,
  9. contrariety,
  10. contrarily

Origin of contraption

1815–25; perhaps contr(ivance) + (ad)aption, variant of adaptation
Related formscon·trap·tious, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for contraption

British Dictionary definitions for contraption

contraption

noun

informal, often facetious, or derogatory a device or contrivance, esp one considered strange, unnecessarily intricate, or improvised

Word Origin for contraption

C19: perhaps from con (trivance) + trap 1 + (inven) tion
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
Word Origin and History for contraption

contraption

n.

1825, western England dialect, origin obscure, perhaps from con(trive) + trap, or deception.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper