Contraction

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kənˈtɹækʃn̩/

Definitions

1. A shortening of a word or phrase by omitting letters, or the process of becoming smaller or tighter
2. A linguistic abbreviation formed by combining words or phrases while eliminating some letters, as well as the act of something becoming narrower or more compact in physical form
3. The process of reducing a phrase or term by blending sounds and letters together, in addition to the change where an object or substance becomes smaller or tighter

Etymology: The most striking thing about "contraction" is how literal its origin is: Latin "contrahere" meant to draw things together, to gather or assemble, and the noun "contractio" meant a drawing together. The word was built from "con-", "together", and "trahere", "to drag or pull", so at heart it describes pulling pieces toward each other until they take up less room. That physical sense came first in English, when Late Middle English used "contraccioun" for a spasm or a shrinking, the tightening of something that had been drawn together. The abbreviation sense grew from the same idea: a shortened form is one where letters have been pulled together and the full spelling has been drawn in tighter. The "-ion" ending, a common suffix for actions and their results, was added to the stem "contract" when the word was formed on the Latin model.

Synonyms: shortening, abbreviation, reduction, compression, tightening

Antonyms: expansion, enlargement, augmentation