LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

contractiō

contractiō f (genitive contractiōnis)
Classical[kɔnˈtrak.ti.oː]Ecclesiastical[konˈtrak.t͡si.o]

Meaning

  1. a contraction, drawing together
  2. abridgment, shortening
  3. dejection, despondency

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecontractiōcontractiōnēs
genitivecontractiōniscontractiōnum
dativecontractiōnīcontractiōnibus
accusativecontractiōnemcontractiōnēs
ablativecontractiōnecontractiōnibus
vocativecontractiōcontractiōnēs

contractĭo, ōnis, f. contraho,
I. a drawing together, contraction (in good prose; most freq. in Cic.).
I. Lit.: contractio et porrectio digitorum, Cic. N. D. 2, 60, 150: bracchii (opp. projectio), id. Or. 18, 59: superciliorum (opp. remissio), id. Off. 1, 41, 146: frontis, id. Sest. 8, 19: umerorum (opp. allevatio), Quint. 11, 3, 83: nervorum, a contraction, cramp, Scrib. Comp. 255; without nervorum, Plin. 20, 17, 73, § 191: bonorum, i. e. consolidation, Gai Inst. 2, 155.—Hence,
B. Transf., an abridging, shortening, abridgment, shortness: paginae, Cic. Att. 5, 4, 4: syllabae, shortening in pronunciation (opp. productio), id. de Or. 3, 50, 196: orationis (opp. longitudo), id. Part. Or. 6, 19.— *
II. Trop.: animi in dolore, dejection, undue depression, despondency (opp. effusio animi in laetitiā), Cic. Tusc. 4, 31, 66; cf. id. ib. 4, 6, 14: animos demittunt et contrahunt; v. contraho, II. B.

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin contractiō From contrahō (“draw together, shorten”) + -tiō.

Descendants
  • Catalancontracció
  • Englishcontraction
  • Frenchcontraction
  • Italiancontrazione
  • Portuguesecontração
  • Romaniancontracție
  • Spanishcontracción
  • Galiciancontracción
  • Russianконтра́кция

Quick answers

What does contractiō mean in Latin?
contractiō, a noun, means “a contraction, drawing together; abridgment, shortening; dejection, despondency”.
What is the genitive of contractiō?
The genitive singular is contractiōnis. contractiō is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce contractiō?
In classical Latin, [kɔnˈtrak.ti.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [konˈtrak.t͡si.o].