Contacting

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈkɑntæktɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Establishing communication with an individual
2. Initiating a connection to gather information or support
3. Beginning communication with someone to exchange information or ideas ; making physical connection by touching or being near another object or person

Etymology: "Contacting" is simply the verb "contact" with the "-ing" ending added, so its history is really the history of the verb. That verb comes from Latin "contactus," the past participle of "contingere," meaning "to touch on all sides." The Latin word was built from "con-," meaning "together" or "thoroughly," and "tangere," meaning "to touch," so the original idea was of touching something completely rather than lightly grazing it. English took "contact" in the 17th century, and for a long time it kept that physical sense of two things touching. The modern sense of getting in touch with someone, which the "reaching out" meaning reflects, developed later from the same core idea: a point of physical touching became a point of connection between people.

Synonyms: reaching out, communicating