<B>contact, </B>noun, adjective, adverb, interjection, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the condition of touching; touching together. <BR> <I>Ex. To bring fire into contact with gasoline may cause an explosion. A magnet will draw iron filings into contact with it.</I> (SYN) touch. <DD><B> 2a. </B>the condition of being in communication with. <BR> <I>Ex. The control tower lost radio contact with the airplane pilot.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>a connection. <BR> <I>Ex. In college he made contacts with students from many states.</I> <DD><B> c. </B>a useful business or social connection. <BR> <I>Ex. The insurance salesman tried to make contacts with wealthy people. She has a useful contact in an advertising agency.</I> <DD><B> d. </B>a person serving as a liaison. <BR> <I>Ex. the chief contact ... between [atomic scientists] and the army administrators (Bulletin of Atomic Scientists).</I> <DD><B> 3a. </B>a connection between two conductors of electricity through which a current passes. <DD><B> b. </B>a device or part for producing such a connection. <BR> <I>Ex. The electric light went out when the wire broke off at the contact.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Medicine.) <DD><B> a. </B>exposure to a contagious disease. <DD><B> b. </B>a person who has been exposed to a contagious disease. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Geology.) the surface of the boundary between adjacent rocks. <DD><B> 6. </B><B>=contact lens.</B> <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>received on touching. <BR> <I>Ex. a contact burn.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>occurring on touching. <BR> <I>Ex. a contact burst.</I> <DD><I>adv. </I> (Aeronautics.) within sight of land or water. <BR> <I>Ex. to fly contact.</I> <DD><I>interj. </I> (Aeronautics.) the ignition switch is on and the propeller can be turned. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>(Informal.) to get in touch with. <BR> <I>Ex. Mother is ill! Contact the doctor immediately!</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to put or bring into contact; cause to touch. <BR> <I>Ex. An electric arc is struck by contacting the electrodes.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to be in contact; establish contact. <BR> <I>Ex. If the exposed wires contact, we shall have a short circuit.</I> adj. <B>contactless.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contactbreaker">
<B>contact breaker,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a device for automatically breaking, or breaking and making, an electrical circuit. </DL>
<A NAME="contactcatalysis">
<B>contact catalysis,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> catalysis at the surface of a solid catalyst. Contact catalysis takes place when hydrogen and oxygen combine at the surface of powdered platinum to make water. </DL>
<A NAME="contactflight">
<B>contact flight,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Aeronautics.) a flight in which land or water is kept in sight as a basis for navigation. </DL>
<A NAME="contactflying">
<B>contact flying,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Aeronautics.) navigation by observation of landfalls or water navigation aids, such as buoys. </DL>
<A NAME="contactinhibition">
<B>contact inhibition,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Biology.) cessation of cell division when the surface of one cell comes into contact with the surface of another cell. </DL>
<A NAME="contactlens">
<B>contact lens,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a very small, thin, plastic lens fitted on the front of the eyeball. It is held in place by the fluid of the eye. Contact lenses take the place of eyeglasses. </DL>
<A NAME="contactman">
<B>contact man,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a person serving as a liaison; contact. </DL>
<A NAME="contactmetamorphism">
<B>contact metamorphism,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Geology.) metamorphism caused by the heat of hot igneous rocks; local metamorphism. </DL>
<B>contact print,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a photographic print made by placing the negative in direct contact with sensitized paper or other sensitized surface over a light. </DL>
<A NAME="contactual">
<B>contactual, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with contact. <BR> <I>Ex. Poison ivy is a contactual irritant.</I> adv. <B>contactually.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contactvisit">
<B>contact visit,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a prison visit during which a prisoner is permitted to have physical contact with his visitors. <BR> <I>Ex. Following the ruling Spenkelink was allowed contact visits with his 67-year-old mother ... and his fiancee (New York Post).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="contactvisiting">
<B>contact visiting,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the act or practice of making a contact visit. </DL>
<A NAME="contagia">
<B>contagia, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> plural of <B>contagium.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contagion">
<B>contagion, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the spreading of disease by direct or indirect contact. <BR> <I>Ex. Contagion is hard to prevent in crowded areas.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a disease spread in this way; contagious disease. <BR> <I>Ex. The contagion ran all through the dormitories.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the means by which disease is spread. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) the spreading of any influence from one person to another. <BR> <I>Ex. At the cry of "Fire!" a contagion of fear swept through the audience, causing a panic.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>evil influence; moral corruption. <BR> <I>Ex. Her mother feared the contagion of drugs.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>(Obsolete.) a poison. </DL>
<A NAME="contagious">
<B>contagious, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>spreading by direct or indirect contact; catching. <BR> <I>Ex. Scarlet fever is a contagious disease. Colds are contagious.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>causing contagious disease. (SYN) pestilential. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) easily spreading from one to another. <BR> <I>Ex. Yawning is often contagious.</I> adv. <B>contagiously.</B> noun <B>contagiousness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contagiousabortion">
<B>contagious abortion,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> Bang's disease; brucellosis in cattle. </DL>
<A NAME="contagiousmagic">
<B>contagious magic,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> magic based on the belief that things once in contact continue to act on each other after the contact is broken. </DL>
<A NAME="contagium">
<B>contagium, </B>noun, pl. <B>-gia.</B> <B>=contagion.</B></DL>
<A NAME="contain">
<B>contain, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to have within itself; hold as contents; include. <BR> <I>Ex. My purse contains money. A library contains books. Books contain information.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to be capable of holding. <BR> <I>Ex. This pitcher will contain a quart of milk.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to be equal to. <BR> <I>Ex. A pound contains 16 ounces.</I> (SYN) comprise. <DD><B> 4. </B>to control; hold back; restrain (one's feelings). <BR> <I>Ex. She could not contain her anger when he kicked her dog.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(Military.) to control or restrain (enemy forces) by stopping, holding, or surrounding. <BR> <I>Ex. The British fleet under Admiral Nelson contained Napoleon's ships at Trafalgar.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>to be capable of being divided by (a number) without a remainder. <BR> <I>Ex. 12 contains 2, 3, 4, and 6.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to restrain oneself or one's feelings. <BR> <I>Ex. He could contain no longer, but hasting home, invaded his territories, and professed open war (Robert Burton).</I> adj. <B>containable.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="container">
<B>container, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a box, can, jar, or carton used to hold or contain something. A pitcher is a container. <DD><B> 2. </B>the amount that a container can hold. <DD><B> 3. </B>a person or thing that contains; holder. </DL>
<A NAME="containerboard">
<B>container board,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a thin but strong board, processed from wood fibers, for making paper cartons or boxes. </DL>
<A NAME="containercar">
<B>container car,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a railroad flatcar or gondola freight car fitted to carry large metal containers, used for transportation of drugs, medical supplies, chemicals, and other material in bulk shipments. </DL>
<A NAME="containerize">
<B>containerize, </B>transitive verb, <B>-ized,</B> <B>-izing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to ship (cargo) in very large, separate containers. adj. <B>containerizable.</B> noun <B>containerization.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="containership">
<B>container ship,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a ship specially designed to carry containerized cargo. </DL>
<A NAME="containershipping">
<B>container shipping,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the shipping of cargo in very large, separate containers. </DL>
<A NAME="containment">
<B>containment, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act or fact of containing. <BR> <I>Ex. ... the only known method of containment is with a strong magnetic field (Richard A. Ferrell).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the confinement of an unfriendly political or military force within existing geographical boundaries. </DL>
<A NAME="contakion">
<B>contakion, </B>noun. <B>=kontakion.</B></DL>
<A NAME="contaminant">
<B>contaminant, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a thing that contaminates or spreads contamination. <BR> <I>Ex. to seal off the surface from grease and other contaminants (New Scientist).</I> (SYN) pollutant. </DL>
<A NAME="contaminate">
<B>contaminate, </B>verb, <B>-nated,</B> <B>-nating,</B> adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> to make impure by contact; defile; pollute. <BR> <I>Ex. Filth from the swarming flies contaminated the milk. Drinking water is contaminated when sewage seeps into the water supply.</I> (SYN) taint, infect, sully. <DD><I>adj. </I> (Archaic.) contaminated; defiled; sullied. </DL>
<A NAME="contamination">
<B>contamination, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a contaminating or being contaminated; pollution. <BR> <I>Ex. Milk should be kept covered to avoid contamination.</I> (SYN) taint, defilement. <DD><B> 2. </B>a thing that contaminates; an impurity. </DL>
<A NAME="contaminative">
<B>contaminative, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> tending to defile; causing contamination. </DL>
<A NAME="contaminator">
<B>contaminator, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person or thing that contaminates. </DL>
<A NAME="contango">
<B>contango, </B>noun, pl. <B>-gos.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) the premium paid to postpone payment for a stock to a later date. </DL>
<A NAME="contd">
<B>contd.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> continued. </DL>
<A NAME="conte">
<B>conte</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Italian.) a count. </DL>
<A NAME="conte">
<B>conte</B> (2), noun, pl. <B>contes.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a short story or tale, especially of extraordinary and highly imaginative events. <BR> <I>Ex. a complete, even a poetic, understanding of the ironic conte (London Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="contemn">
<B>contemn, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to treat with contempt; value very little; despise; scorn. <BR> <I>Ex. The brave soldier contemned the heavy odds against him.</I> (SYN) disdain, slight. </DL>
<A NAME="contemner">
<B>contemner</B> or <B>contemnor, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who contemns. </DL>
