contract

contract
I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin contractus, from contrahere to draw together, make a contract, reduce in size, from com- + trahere to draw Date: 14th century 1. a. a binding agreement between two or more persons or parties; especially one legally enforceable b. a business arrangement for the supply of goods or services at a fixed price <
make parts on contract
>
c. the act of marriage or an agreement to marry 2. a document describing the terms of a contract 3. the final bid to win a specified number of tricks in bridge 4. an order or arrangement for a hired assassin to kill someone <
his enemies put out a contract on him
>
II. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French contracter to agree upon, from Latin contractus Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to bring on oneself especially inadvertently ; incur <
contracting debts
>
b. to become affected with <
contract pneumonia
>
2. a. to establish or undertake by contract <
contract a job
>
b. betroth; also to establish (a marriage) formally c. (1) to hire by contract <
contract a lawyer
>
(2) to purchase (as goods or services) on a contract basis — often used with out 3. a. limit, restrict <
contract the scope of their activities
>
b. knit, wrinkle <
frown contracted his brow
>
c. to draw together ; concentrate 4. to reduce to smaller size by or as if by squeezing or forcing together <
contract a muscle
>
5. to shorten (as a word) by omitting one or more sounds or letters intransitive verb 1. to make a contract 2. to draw together so as to become diminished in size <
metal contracts on cooling
>
; also to become less in compass, duration, or length <
muscle contracts in tetanus
>
contractibility nouncontractible adjective Synonyms: contract, shrink, condense, compress, constrict, deflate mean to decrease in bulk or volume. contract applies to a drawing together of surfaces or particles or a reduction of area or length <
caused her muscles to contract
>
. shrink implies a contracting or a loss of material and stresses a falling short of original dimensions <
the sweater will shrink when washed
>
. condense implies a reducing of something homogeneous to greater compactness without significant loss of content <
condense the essay into a paragraph
>
. compress implies a pressing into a small compass and definite shape usually against resistance <
compressed cotton into bales
>
. constrict implies a tightening that reduces diameter <
the throat is constricted by a tight collar
>
. deflate implies a contracting by reducing the internal pressure of contained air or gas <
deflate the balloon
>
. III. adjective Date: 1936 hired to execute a contract <
a contract worker
>
<
a contract killer
>

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • contract — con·tract 1 / kän ˌtrakt/ n [Latin contractus from contrahere to draw together, enter into (a relationship or agreement), from com with, together + trahere to draw] 1: an agreement between two or more parties that creates in each party a duty to… …   Law dictionary

  • Contract — • The canonical and moralist doctrine on this subject is a development of that contained in the Roman civil law. In civil law, a contract is defined as the union of several persons in a coincident expression of will by which their legal relations …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • CONTRACT — (Heb. חוֹזֶה, ḥozeh), in general law theory a legally binding agreement between two or more parties, in terms of which one party undertakes for the benefit of the other to perform or refrain from a certain act. As such, contract is the main… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • contract — CONTRACT. s. m. Paction, convention, traitté entre deux, ou plusieurs personnes portant obligation des contractants l un. envers l autre. Contract de bonne foy. contract civil. contract verbal, ou par parole. Contract par escrit. contract de… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • contract — CONTRÁCT, contracte, s.n. Acord încheiat, ca urmare a înţelegerii intervenite între două sau mai multe persoane (fizice sau juridice), pentru crearea, modificarea sau stingerea (stinge) unor drepturi şi obligaţii în relaţiile dintre ele; act,… …   Dicționar Român

  • contract — [kän′trakt΄] for n. & usually for vt.1 & vi.1 [; kən trakt′] for v. generally n. [OFr < L contractus, pp. of contrahere, to draw together, make a bargain < com , together + trahere, to DRAW] 1. an agreement between two or more people to do… …   English World dictionary

  • Contract — Con*tract (k[o^]n*tr[a^]kt ), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Contracted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Contracting}.] [L. contractus, p. p. of contrahere to contract; con + trahere to draw: cf. F. contracter. See {Trace}, and cf. {Contract}, n.] 1. To draw together or …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Contract J.A.C.K. — Contract J.A.C.K. Developer(s) Monolith Productions Publisher(s) …   Wikipedia

  • contract — n Contract, bargain, compact, pact, treaty, entente, convention, cartel, concordat designate an agreement reached after negotiation and ending in an exchange of promises between the parties concerned. Contract applies especially to a formal… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Contract J.A.C.K. — Contract J.A.C.K. Éditeur Sierra Entertainment Développeur Monolith Productions Date de sortie 11 novembre 2003 Genre FPS Mode de jeu Un joueur …   Wikipédia en Français

  • contract — Contract, Pactum, Contractus. Contracts et conventions redigées par escrit, Perscriptitiones, Syngraphae. Quand un tiers escrit un contract et obligation que deux autres sont ensemble, Syngraphum conscribere. Faire contracts et paction de quelque …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

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