contango

[kuh n-tang-goh] /kənˈtæŋ goʊ/
noun, plural contangos, contangoes.
1.
(on the London stock exchange) a fee paid by a buyer of securities to the seller for the privilege of deferring payment.
Also called continuation.
Compare backwardation.
Origin
1850-55; said to be alteration of continue or contingent
Examples from the web for contango
  • Futures prices for physical commodities are thus typically higher than spot prices, a situation known as contango.
British Dictionary definitions for contango

contango

/kənˈtæŋɡəʊ/
noun (pl) -gos
1.
(formerly, on the London Stock Exchange) postponement of payment for and delivery of stock from one account day to the next
2.
Also called carry-over, continuation. the fee paid for such a postponement Compare backwardation
verb -goes, -going, -goed
3.
(transitive) to arrange such a postponement of payment (for): my brokers will contango these shares
Word Origin
C19: apparently an arbitrary coinage based on continue
Word Origin and History for contango

1853, a stockbroker's invention, perhaps somehow derived from continue, or from Spanish contengo "I contain, refrain, restrain, check." As a verb, from 1900.