SG Heritage Dictionary

Contraction [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. The act of drawing together, or shrinking; the act of shortening, narrowing or lessening extent or dimensions, by causing the parts of a body to approach nearer to each other; the state of being contracted.

2. Oil of vitriol will throw the stomach into involuntary contractions.

3. The contraction of the heart is called systole.

4. Some things induce a contraction of the nerves.

5. The act of shortening, abridging, or reducing within a narrower compass by any means. A poem may be improved by omissions or contractions.

6. In grammar, the shortening of a word, by the omission of a letter or syllable; as, cant for cannot; burst for bursted or bursten; Swedish and Danish ord, a word.

7. A contract; marriage contract. [Not used.]

8. Abbreviation.

Contraction [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

1. 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. The process of shortening an operation.

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

5. 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. A marriage contract.