contraction

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• Received-Pronunciation: /kənˈtɹækʃn̩/
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• Received-Pronunciation: /kɒn-/
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• British, Southern, Standard: /kənˈtɹakʃn̩/
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• British, Southern, Standard: /kɔn-/
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• Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• General-American: /kənˈtɹækʃ(ə)n/
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• Scotland: /kənˈtɾakʃn̩/
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• Scotland: /kɔn-/
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• Wales: /kənˈtɾakʃn̩/
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• Wales: /kɒn-/
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• rhymes with -ækʃən
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• CMU ARPABET: K AH0 N T R AE1 K SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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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).

178 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• German: Annahme — act of incurring debt; act of acquiring something (generally negative)
• German: Erwerb — act of incurring debt; act of acquiring something (generally negative)
• German: Infektion — act of incurring debt; act of acquiring something (generally negative)
• German: Kontamination — act of incurring debt; act of acquiring something (generally negative)
• Finnish: tarttuminen — process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease
• Finnish: tartunta — process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease
• German: Ansteckung — process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease
• German: Erwerb — process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease
• German: Infektion — process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease
• Hungarian: fertőzés — process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease
• Hungarian: fertőződés — process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease
• Hungarian: megfertőződés — process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease
• Kyrgyz: кыскаруу (kıskaruu) — process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease
• Macedonian: за́раза (záraza) — process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease
• Macedonian: заразу́вање (zarazúvanje) — process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease
• Portuguese: contração — process of contracting or becoming infected with a disease
• Afrikaans: verkleining — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Bulgarian: скъсяване (skǎsjavane) — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Bulgarian: свиване (svivane) — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Burmese: ချုံ့ခြင်း (hkyum.hkrang:) — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Burmese: ကျုံ့ခြင်း (kyum.hkrang:) — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Catalan: contracció — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Chinese Mandarin: 收縮 /收缩 (shōusuō) — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Finnish: supistuminen — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• French: contraction — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• German: Kontraktion — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• German: Abnahme — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• German: Abnehmen — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• German: Minderung — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• German: Schrumpfen — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• German: Schrumpfung — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• German: Schwinden — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• German: Schwindung — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• German: Verengung — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• German: Verkleinerung — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• German: Verkürzung — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• German: Zusammenziehung — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• German: Stauchung — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Hebrew: התכווצות (hitkavtzut) — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Hungarian: összehúzás — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Hungarian: összehúzódás — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Indonesian: kontraksi — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Italian: contrazione — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Japanese: 収縮 (shūshuku) — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Korean: 단축 (danchuk) — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Kyrgyz: кыскаруу (kıskaruu) — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Latin: contractiō — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Macedonian: скрату́вање (skratúvanje) — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Norwegian: kontraksjon — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Norwegian: forminskning — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Occitan: contraccion — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Portuguese: contração — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Romanian: contracție — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Russian: сокраще́ние (sokraščénije) — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Russian: сжа́тие (sžátije) — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Spanish: contracción — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Swedish: kontraktion — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Swedish: minskning — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Tagalog: daginsin — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Tajik: дардгирӣ (dardgiri) — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Thai: การหดตัว — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Uzbek: qisqarish — (sometimes reversible) contracting or reduction in length, scope, size, or volume
• Burmese: ချုံ့ခြင်း (hkyum.hkrang:) — stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together
• Burmese: ကျုံ့ခြင်း (kyum.hkrang:) — stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together
• Finnish: kontraktio — stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together
• Finnish: lähentyminen — stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together
• German: Kontraktur — stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together
• German: Schrumpfung — stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together
• Uzbek: qisqarish — stage of wound healing during which the wound edges are gradually pulled together
• Bulgarian: свиване (svivane) — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Catalan: contracció — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Finnish: lihassupistus — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Finnish: supistus — shortening of a muscle during its use
• French: contraction — shortening of a muscle during its use
• German: Kontraktion — shortening of a muscle during its use
• German: Kontraktur — shortening of a muscle during its use
• German: Anspannung — shortening of a muscle during its use
• German: Einschnürung — shortening of a muscle during its use
• German: Verengung — shortening of a muscle during its use
• German: Verkürzung — shortening of a muscle during its use
• German: Zusammenziehung — shortening of a muscle during its use
• German: Zusammenziehen — shortening of a muscle during its use
• German: Zuziehung — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Hebrew: התכווצות (hitkavtzut) — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Hungarian: kontrakció — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Hungarian: izom-összehúzódás — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Hungarian: összehúzódás — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Japanese: 攣縮 (renshuku) — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Korean: 위축 (wichuk) — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Northern Kurdish: girjbûn — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Māori: kukutinga — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Norwegian: kontraksjon — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Norwegian: sammentrekning — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Occitan: contraccion — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Portuguese: contração — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Portuguese: crispação — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Russian: сокраще́ние (sokraščénije) — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Russian: сжа́тие (sžátije) — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Spanish: contracción — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Swedish: kontraktion — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Swedish: sammandragning — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Welsh: cyfangiad — shortening of a muscle during its use
• Breton: gwaskadenn — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Bulgarian: контракция (kontrakcija) — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Catalan: contracció — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Dutch: wee — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Finnish: supistus — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Finnish: synnytyssupistus — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• French: contraction — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• German: Geburtswehe — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• German: Wehe — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Hungarian: fájás — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Hungarian: méhösszehúzódás — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Hungarian: szülési fájás — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Japanese: 陣痛 (jintsū) — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Macedonian: контра́кција (kontrákcija) — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Māori: kukutinga — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Norwegian: sammentrekning — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Occitan: contraccion — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Portuguese: contração — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Russian: сокраще́ние (sokraščénije) — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Serbo-Croatian: контра̀кција — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Serbo-Croatian: тру́дови — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Serbo-Croatian: kontràkcija — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Serbo-Croatian: trúdovi — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Spanish: contracción — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Swedish: sammandragning — strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth
• Finnish: taantuma — period of economic decline or negative growth
• French: contraction — period of economic decline or negative growth
• German: Abschwung — period of economic decline or negative growth
• German: Rezession — period of economic decline or negative growth
• German: Rückgang — period of economic decline or negative growth
• German: Schrumpfung — period of economic decline or negative growth
• Hungarian: recesszió — period of economic decline or negative growth
• Hungarian: visszaesés — period of economic decline or negative growth
• Occitan: contraccion — period of economic decline or negative growth
• Catalan: contracció — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Danish: sammentrækning — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Dutch: samentrekking — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Finnish: kontraktio — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Finnish: supistuminen — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• French: contraction — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• German: Zusammenziehung — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Hungarian: összevonás — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Hungarian: összevonódás — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Hungarian: szóösszevonás — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Italian: contrazione — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Japanese: 約音化 (yakuon-ka) — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Occitan: contraccion — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Portuguese: contração — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Spanish: contracción — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Turkish: kısaltma — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Welsh: cywasgiad — process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme are reduced or lost
• Bulgarian: съкращение (sǎkraštenie) — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Catalan: contracció — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Danish: sammentrækning — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Finnish: kontraktio — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Finnish: supistumamuoto — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• French: contraction — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• German: Kontraktion — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• German: Zusammenziehung — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Hungarian: összevont alak — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Italian: contrazione — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Japanese: 短縮形 (tanshuku-kei) — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Korean: 단축어 (danchugeo) — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Macedonian: скрату́вање (skratúvanje) — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Norwegian: sammentrekning — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Polish: kontrakcja — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Polish: forma ściągnięta — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Portuguese: contração — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Russian: сокраще́ние (sokraščénije) — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Russian: стяже́ние (stjažénije) — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Spanish: contracción — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Swedish: sammandragning — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Turkish: kısaltma — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Ukrainian: скорочення (skoročennja) — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Welsh: cywasgiad — shortened form of a word, often with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe or a diacritical mark
• Finnish: lyhennemerkki — shorthand symbol indicating an omission for the purpose of brevity