"contract" definition, meaning, and origin

Adjective

Contracted; affianced; betrothed.
- But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes, feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel - 1609, William Shakespeare, Sonnet 1:
Not abstract; concrete.
- But now in eche kinde of these, there are certaine nombers named Abſtracte: and other called nombers Contracte. - 1557, Robert Recorde, The Whetstone of Witte:

Origin

From Middle English, from Old French contract, from Latin contractus (noun), from contrahere (“to bring together, to bring about, to conclude a bargain”) [from con- (“with, together”) + trahere (“to draw, to pull”)] + -tus (suffix forming nouns from verbs).

Noun

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.
- sign a contract
- write up a contract
- read a contract
Synonyms: compact pact
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.
The document containing such an agreement.
A part of legal studies dealing with laws and jurisdiction related to contracts.
An order, usually given to a hired assassin, to kill someone.
- The mafia boss put a contract out on the man who betrayed him.
The declarer's undertaking to win the number of tricks bid with a stated suit as trump.

Verb

To draw together or nearer; to shorten, narrow, or lessen.
- The snail’s body contracted into its shell.
- to contract one’s sphere of action
- We ſee in all things how deſuetude do's contract and narrow our faculties, ſo that we may apprehend only thoſe things wherein we are converſant. - 1674, [Richard Allestree], “Of Boasting”, in The Government of the...
To shorten by omitting a letter or letters or by reducing two or more vowels or syllables to one.
- The word “cannot” is often contracted into “can’t”.
To make an agreement or contract; to covenant.
- The company contracted with the council to build 200 new houses.
To enter into a contract with (someone or something).
- We have just contracted new pest control services.
To enter into (an agreement) with mutual obligations; to make (an arrangement).
- We have contracted an inviolable amitie, peace, and league with the aforesaid Queene. - 1589, Richard Hakluyt, The Principall Navigations, Voiages, and Discoveries of the English Nation, […], London: […] George Bishop...
- Many persons […] had contracted marriage within the degrees of consanguinity […] prohibited by law. - 1721, John Strype, Ecclesiastical Memorials:
To bring on; to incur; to acquire.
- She contracted the habit of smoking in her teens.
- to contract a debt
- Smit with the love of Siſter-arts we came, / And met congenial, mingling flame with flame; / Like friendly colours found our arts unite, / Each from each contract new ſtrength and light. - 1717, Alexander Pope, “To Mr....
To gain or acquire (an illness).
- At that time, the city [Christiania, now Oslo] was in the grip of a cholera epidemic, and victims were dying at the rate of 60 a day. Bradshaw contracted the disease, and died on September 6 [1853]. - 1950 January,...
- An officer contracted hepatitis B and died after handling the blood-soaked clothing of a homicide victim […] - 1999, Davidson C. Umeh, Protect Your Life: A Health Handbook for Law Enforcement Professionals, page 69:
To draw together so as to wrinkle; to knit.
- And didſt contract, and purſe thy brow together, / As if thou then hadſt ſhut vp in thy braine, / Some horrible counſell: […] - c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragœdy of Othello, the Moore of...
To betroth; to affiance.
- The truth is, ſhe and I (long ſince contracted) / Are now ſo ſure that nothing can diſſolve vs: […] - c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies,...

Origin

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.