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).

Origin

1375-1425; late Middle English (< Middle French) < Latin contractiōn- (stem of contractiō), equivalent to contract(us) drawn together, past participle of contrahere (see contract) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

contractional, adjective

noncontraction, noun

overcontraction, noun

recontraction, noun

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.

Examples from the web for contraction

It was the body, the uterus, and the contraction--as if these things weren't a part of us.
It travels inside the frame of the muon and so the length contraction of the rod in the sea level does not make any difference.
They're more likely to see a contraction that could come in the form of austerity, layoffs, or reining in of capital investments.
It prevents the regurgitation of blood into the sinus during the contraction of the atrium.
Actions-The simultaneous contraction of the two muscles serves to fix the central tendinous point of the perineum.
From the narrow limitation of time necessarily arises the contraction of place.
When exercise begins, the heart's rate and strength of contraction increases and blood is quickly pumped into the arteries.
Eccentric muscle contraction and other musculoskeletal injuries can contribute to the problem.
Researchers were studying the receptors on smooth lung muscles that regulate contraction and relaxation of the airways.
It was the expanding and contraction of the shells that gave off radiation or absorbed it.

British Dictionary definitions 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 apostrophe: I've come for I have come

Derived Forms

contractive, adjective
contractively, adverb
contractiveness, noun

Word Origin and History for 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.

contraction in Medicine

contraction con·trac·tion (kən-trāk'shən)
n.

The act of contracting or the state of being contracted.
The shortening and thickening of functioning muscle or muscle fiber.

contraction in Science

contraction

(kən-trāk'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.

contraction in Culture

contraction definition

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.

contraction in Technology

reduction