Definitions for contraction
kənˈtræk ʃəncon·trac·tion

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. contraction, muscular contraction, muscle contraction(noun)

   (physiology) a shortening or tensing of a part or organ (especially of a muscle or muscle fiber)

2. compression, condensation, contraction(noun)

   the process or result of becoming smaller or pressed together

   "the contraction of a gas on cooling"

3. contraction(noun)

   a word formed from two or more words by omitting or combining some sounds

   "`won't' is a contraction of `will not'"; "`o'clock' is a contraction of `of the clock'"

4. contraction(noun)

   the act of decreasing (something) in size or volume or quantity or scope

Wiktionary(2.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. contraction(Noun)

   A reversible reduction in size.

2. contraction(Noun)

   A period of economic decline or negative growth.

   The country's economic contraction was caused by high oil prices.

3. contraction(Noun)

   A shortening of a muscle when it is used.

4. contraction(Noun)

   A strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth.

5. contraction(Noun)

   A shortened word or phrase, with the missing letters represented by an apostrophe.

6. contraction(Noun)

   Contracting a disease.

   The contraction of AIDS from toilet seats is extremely rare.

7. contraction(Noun)

   Syncope, the loss of sounds from within a word.

8. contraction(Noun)

   The acquisition of something, generally negative.

   Our contraction of debt in this quarter has reduced our ability to attract investors.

9. contraction(Noun)

   A distinct stage of wound healing, wherein the wound edges are gradually pulled together.

Origin: From contractio.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Contraction(noun)

   the act or process of contracting, shortening, or shrinking; the state of being contracted; as, contraction of the heart, of the pupil of the eye, or of a tendion; the contraction produced by cold

2. Contraction(noun)

   the process of shortening an operation

3. Contraction(noun)

   the act of incurring or becoming subject to, as liabilities, obligation, debts, etc.; the process of becoming subject to; as, the contraction of a disease

4. Contraction(noun)

   something contracted or abbreviated, as a word or phrase; -- as, plenipo for plenipotentiary; crim. con. for criminal conversation, etc

5. Contraction(noun)

   the shortening of a word, or of two words, by the omission of a letter or letters, or by reducing two or more vowels or syllables to one; as, ne'er for never; can't for can not; don't for do not; it's for it is

6. Contraction(noun)

   a marriage contract

Origin: [L. contractio: cf. F. contraction.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Contraction

   A contraction is a shortened version of the written and spoken forms of a word, syllable, or word group, created by omission of internal letters. In traditional grammar, contraction can denote the formation of a new word from one word or a group of words, for example, by elision. This often occurs in rendering a common sequence of words or, as in French, in maintaining a flowing sound. In strict analysis, contractions should not be confused with abbreviations or acronyms, with which they share some semantic and phonetic functions, though all three are connoted by the term "abbreviation" in loose parlance. Contraction is also distinguished from clipping, where beginnings and endings are omitted.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. contraction

   The act or process of a muscle fiber that will increase or decrease in size for a specific purpose.

   Muscle contraction plays a role in childbirth, the large and small intestine to create movement.

   Submitted by MC Harmonious on September 4, 2016

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of contraction in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of contraction in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of contraction in a Sentence

1. Jeffrey Gundlach:

   The U.S. trade data points to economic contraction.

2. Frederic Neumann of HSBC:

   China's manufacturing sector is stuck in contraction.

3. Fiona Mullen:

   My forecast is for a contraction of 0.7 percent this year.

4. Finance Minister Joe Oliver:

   This feels like a period of slower growth, but not a period of contraction.

5. Michel Eyquem de Montaigne:

   It is a sign of contraction of the mind when it is content, or of weariness.

Images & Illustrations of contraction

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