3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Contraction  \Con*trac"tion\,  n.  [L.  contractio:  cf  F. 
  contraction.] 
  1.  The  act  or  process  of  contracting,  shortening,  or 
  shrinking;  the  state  of  being  contracted;  as  contraction 
  of  the  heart,  of  the  pupil  of  the  eye,  or  of  a  tendion; 
  the  contraction  produced  by  cold. 
 
  2.  (Math.)  The  process  of  shortening  an  operation. 
 
  3.  The  act  of  incurring  or  becoming  subject  to  as 
  liabilities,  obligation,  debts,  etc.;  the  process  of 
  becoming  subject  to  as  the  contraction  of  a  disease. 
 
  4.  Something  contracted  or  abbreviated,  as  a  word  or  phrase; 
  --  as  plenipo  for  plenipotentiary;  crim.  con.  for 
  criminal  conversation,  etc 
 
  5.  (Gram.)  The  shortening  of  a  word  or  of  two  words  by  the 
  omission  of  a  letter  or  letters,  or  by  reducing  two  or 
  more  vowels  or  syllables  to  one  as  ne'er  for  never 
  can't  for  can  not  don't  for  do  not  it's  for  it  is 
 
  6.  A  marriage  contract.  [Obs.]  --Shak. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  contraction 
  n  1:  (physiology)  a  shortening  or  tensing  of  a  part  or  organ 
  (especially  of  a  muscle  or  muscle  fiber)  [ant:  {extension}] 
  2:  the  process  or  result  of  becoming  smaller  or  pressed 
  together:  "the  contraction  of  a  gas  on  cooling"  [syn:  {compression}, 
  {condensation}] 
  3:  a  word  formed  from  two  or  more  words  by  omitting  or 
  combining  some  sounds:  "won't"  from  "will  not";  "o'clock" 
  from  "of  the  clock" 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  contraction 
 
  {reduction} 
 
 

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