Contend

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /kənˈtɛnd/

Definitions

1. To struggle in competition or opposition, or to assert something as true in an argument or debate
2. To engage in a struggle for victory, or to assert a point of view or opinion in discussions or disputes
3. To compete actively against others, or to maintain a claim or position in a controversy or argument

Etymology: The verb "contend" carries a physical image in its Latin ancestor: "contendere" meant "to stretch out" or "to stretch tight," the same action as tightening a bowstring or pulling a rope taut. The Latin verb was built from "com-", "together" or "with," and "tendere," "to stretch," so the original sense was of forces pulling against one another until the line was taut. Strife and striving grew out of that tension, and Latin "contendere" came to mean both "to strive after" and "to contend" in argument. The word reached English through Old French "contendre" and entered Middle English as "contenden." Its sense of physical stretching faded early, and the competitive and argumentative senses took over, so that today someone who contends is pulling against an opponent rather than against a rope. It belongs to a large family built on the same root. "Tend," "attend," "extend," "intend," and "subtend" all share the Latin "tendere," each carrying a different shade of stretching toward something.

Synonyms: struggle, compete, argue, dispute, debate

Antonyms: yield, surrender, relinquish, submit, give in