Contrivance

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kənˈtɹaɪ.vəns/

Definitions

1. An artfully constructed device, mechanism, or elaborate scheme devised through deliberate ingenuity to achieve a particular purpose or effect
2. A skillfully engineered apparatus, plan, or arrangement brought into being through calculated effort and creative invention
3. A device or tool created by skillful design ; a clever or intricate plan devised to accomplish a goal

Etymology: "Contrivance" is a straightforward formation: the verb "contrive" with the suffix "-ance" attached. "Contrive" came into English from Old French "controver" (to find out, invent, or plot), and that French verb descends from Latin "controvare," which combined "contra" (against, in opposition) with "trovare" (to find). The original sense was therefore close to "to find something in response to a problem" or "to invent," and the idea of plotting or scheming came later. The "-ance" ending has a longer path. It descends from Latin "-antia," passed through Old French "-ance," and entered Middle English in forms like "-aunce" before settling into the modern spelling. Attaching it to a verb produces a noun for the act or result of that verb, so "contrivance" originally named the act of inventing or devising something, and only later came to mean the invented thing itself, the device or scheme.

Synonyms: device, gadget, invention