2 definitions found
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Contrivance \Con*triv"ance\, n.
1. The act or faculty of contriving, inventing, devising, or
planning.
The machine which we are inspecting demonstrates, by
its construction, contrivance and design.
Contrivance must have had a contriver. --Paley.
2. The thing contrived, invented, or planned; disposition of
parts or causes by design; a scheme; plan atrifice;
arrangement.
Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to
provide for human wants --Burke.
Syn: Device; plan scheme; invention; machine; project;
design; artifice; shift. See {Device}.
From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]:
contrivance
n 1: a device that very useful for a particular job [syn: {appliance},
{contraption}, {convenience}, {gadget}, {gizmo}, {widget}]
2: the faculty of contriving; inventive skill; "his skillful
contrivance of answers to every problem"
3: an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or
evade; "his testimony was just a contrivance to throw us
off the track" [syn: {stratagem}, {dodge}]
4: an artificial or unnatural or obviously contrived
arrangement of details or parts etc.; "the plot contained
too many improbable contrivances to be believable"
5: any improvised arrangement for temporary use [syn: {lash-up}]
6: the act of devising something [syn: {devisal}]
more about contrivance
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