contract

English Online Dictionary. What means contract‎? What does contract mean?

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English, from Old French contract, from Latin contractum, past participle of contrahere (“to bring together, to bring about, to conclude a bargain”), from con- (“with, together”) + trahere (“to draw, to pull”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: kŏn'trăkt
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒntɹækt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑntɹækt/

Noun

contract (plural contracts)

1. An agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement.

   Synonyms: compact, pact

   sign a contract

   write up a contract

   read a contract

   countersign a contract

   legally-binding contract

   unwritten contract
2. (law) An agreement which the law will enforce in some way. A legally binding contract must contain at least one promise, i.e., a commitment or offer, by an offeror to and accepted by an offeree to do something in the future. A contract is thus executory rather than executed.
3. (law) The document containing such an agreement.
4. (law) A part of legal studies dealing with laws and jurisdiction related to contracts.
5. (informal) An order, usually given to a hired assassin, to kill someone.

6. (bridge) The declarer's undertaking to win the number of tricks bid with a stated suit as trump.

Synonyms

• (part of legal studies): contract law

Hypernyms

• (agreement that is legally binding): agreement

Hyponyms

• (agreement that is legally binding): bailment

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

contract (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) Contracted; affianced; betrothed.
2. (obsolete) Not abstract; concrete.

Etymology 2

From Middle English, from Middle French contracter, from Latin contractum, past participle of contrahere (“to bring together, to bring about, to conclude a bargain”), from con- (“with, together”) + trahere (“to draw, to pull”). The verb developed after the noun, and originally meant only "draw together"; the sense "make a contract with" developed later.

Pronunciation

• enPR: kəntrăkt, IPA^(key): /kənˈtɹækt/
• Rhymes: -ækt

Verb

contract (third-person singular simple present contracts, present participle contracting, simple past and past participle contracted)

1. (ambitransitive) To draw together or nearer; to shorten, narrow, or lessen.
2. (grammar) To shorten by omitting a letter or letters or by reducing two or more vowels or syllables to one.

3. (intransitive) To make an agreement or contract; to covenant.

4. (transitive) To enter into a contract with (someone or something).

5. (transitive, archaic) To enter into (an agreement) with mutual obligations; to make (an arrangement).
6. (transitive) To bring on; to incur; to acquire.
7. (transitive) To gain or acquire (an illness).
8. To draw together so as to wrinkle; to knit.
9. To betroth; to affiance.

Synonyms

• (lessen): abate, decrease, lessen, reduce
• (shorten): shorten, shrink
• (gain or acquire (an illness)): catch, get

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “lessen”): increase, expand
• (antonym(s) of “shorten”): grow, lengthen

Derived terms

Translations

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch contract, from Old French contract, from Latin contractum, past participle of contrahō (“to bring together, to bring about, to conclude a bargain”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔnˈtrɑkt/
• Hyphenation: con‧tract
• Rhymes: -ɑkt

Noun

contract n (plural contracten, diminutive contractje n)

1. contract

   Synonym: overeenkomst

   Voordat we samenwerken, moeten we een schriftelijk contract opstellen. ― Before we collaborate, we need to create a written contract.

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: kontrak
• Negerhollands: kontragt
• → Caribbean Hindustani: kantrák
• → Caribbean Javanese: kontrak
• → Indonesian: kontrak
• → Papiamentu: kontrakt
• → West Frisian: kontrakt

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French contrat, from Latin contractus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /konˈtrakt/

Noun

contract n (plural contracte)

1. contract

Declension

Scots

Etymology

From English contract.

Noun

contract (plural contracts)

1. contract

Welsh

Etymology

From English contract.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɔntrakt/

Noun

contract m (plural contractau)

1. contract

   Synonym: cytundeb

Mutation

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “contract”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies