contraction

Meaning

1. (countable, uncountable) Senses relating to becoming involved with or entering into, especially entering into a contract.
2. (archaic, countable, uncountable) Senses relating to becoming involved with or entering into, especially entering into a contract.
3. (countable, uncountable) Senses relating to becoming involved with or entering into, especially entering into a contract.
4. (archaic, countable, obsolete, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
5. (countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
6. (countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
7. (countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
8. (countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
9. (countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
10. (countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
11. (countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
12. (broadly, countable, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.
13. (countable, obsolete, rare, uncountable) Senses relating to pulling together or shortening.

Opposite of

dilatation, dilation, expansion

Synonyms

shrinking

compression

constriction

shrinkage

deflation

diminution

narrowing

reduction

condensation

shortening

curtailment

abridgement

bending

spasm

abbreviation

decrease

restriction

shortness

astringency

summary

convergency

systole

convulsion

curving

muscle contraction

muscular contraction

recession

narrowness

pressing

pressure

reduce

retrenchment

seizure

shyness

stenosis

stricture

syneresis

taking in

tic

verbal agreement

withering

minification

retractation

shrinking up

abate

uterine contraction

anticlimax

atrophy

bashfulness

collecting

Translations

Kontraktion

contracción

contraction

contrazione

contração

contracció

Zusammenziehung

Zusammenziehen

συστολή

contractie

samentrekking

reducción

Sichzusammenziehen

Kürzung

Geburtswehe

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kənˈtɹækʃn̩/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: contraccioun

Cognate with French: contraction

In summary

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).

Sentences

Elongation in hydrostats is caused by the contraction of transverse or helical musculature arrangements .