contraction

Borrowed from Old French contraction, from Latin contractiō.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒn.tɹæk.ʃən/ (stressed); IPA^(key): /kənˈtɹæk.ʃən/ (unstressed)
• (US) IPA^(key): /kənˈtɹæk.ʃən/
• Rhymes: -ækʃən

contraction (countable and uncountable, plural contractions)

1. A reversible reduction in size.
2. (economics) A period of economic decline or negative growth.

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

3. (biology) A shortening of a muscle when it is used.
4. (medicine) A strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth.
5. (linguistics) A process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme (a word) are lost or reduced, such that it becomes a bound morpheme (a clitic) that attaches phonologically to an adjacent word.

   In English didn't, that's, and wanna, the endings -n't, -'s, and -a arose by contraction.

6. (English orthography) A word with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe, usually resulting from the above process.

   "Don't" is a contraction of "do not."

7. A shorthand symbol indicating an omission for the purpose of brevity.
8. (medicine) Contracting a disease.

   The contraction of AIDS from toilet seats is extremely rare.

9. (phonetics) Syncope, the loss of sounds from within a word.
10. The acquisition of something, generally negative.

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

11. (medicine) A distinct stage of wound healing, wherein the wound edges are gradually pulled together.

• expansion
• dilatation

• contract
• contractation
• contractive
• haustral contraction

• omission
• Category:English contractions
• contraction on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Borrowed from Latin contractio, contractionem.

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.tʁak.sjɔ̃/

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contraction f (plural contractions)

1. contraction

• contracter
• contrat