<B>contented, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> satisfied; pleased; easy in mind. <BR> <I>Ex. A contented person is happy with what he has. When men are employed they are best contented (Benjamin Franklin).</I> adv. <B>contentedly.</B> noun <B>contentedness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contention">
<B>contention, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a statement or point that one has argued for; statement maintained as true. <BR> <I>Ex. Columbus's contention that the earth was round turned out to be correct.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>an arguing; disputing; quarreling. <BR> <I>Ex. There was some contention about choosing a captain for the baseball team.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>an argument; dispute; quarrel. (SYN) disagreement, wrangle, altercation. <DD><B> 4. </B>a struggle; contest. <BR> <I>Ex. The rival teams were in contention for the championship.</I> (SYN) competition. </DL>
<A NAME="contentious">
<B>contentious, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>fond of arguing; given to disputing; quarrelsome. <BR> <I>Ex. A contentious person argues and disputes about trifles.</I> (SYN) disputatious, captious, pugnacious. <DD><B> 2. </B>characterized by contention. <BR> <I>Ex. a contentious campaign, contentious issues, contentious boldness.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Law.) of or having to do with differences between contending parties. adv. <B>contentiously.</B> noun <B>contentiousness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contentment">
<B>contentment, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>satisfaction; being pleased; ease of mind; happiness. <BR> <I>Ex. The noblest mind the best contentment has (Edmund Spenser).</I> (SYN) contentedness. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Archaic.) the act of satisfying or the state of being satisfied. </DL>
<A NAME="contents">
<B>contents, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>what is contained in anything; all things inside. <DD><B> 2. </B>what is written in a book; what is said in a speech. <BR> <I>Ex. The table of contents of a book or magazine contains a list of chapter headings, titles, etc.</I> </DL>
<B>conterminous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having a common boundary; bordering; meeting at their ends. <BR> <I>Ex. Defending the side of Germany conterminous to France (William E. H. Lecky).</I> (SYN) contiguous. <DD><B> 2. </B>having the same boundaries or limits; coextensive in space, time, etc.. <BR> <I>Ex. The terms of office of the President andhis chief advisor were conterminous.</I> <DD> Also, <B>coterminous.</B> adv. <B>conterminously.</B> noun <B>conterminousness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contessa">
<B>contessa, </B>noun, pl. <B>-se.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Italian.) a countess. </DL>
<A NAME="contest">
<B>contest, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a trial of skill to see which can win. A game or race is a contest. (SYN) competition. <DD><B> 2. </B>a fight or struggle. <BR> <I>Ex. The contest between France and England for North America ended in victory for England. What mighty contests rise from trivial things (John Dryden).</I> (SYN) conflict, strife, contention. <DD><B> 3. </B>an argument; dispute. (SYN) controversy, disagreement. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to fight for; struggle for. <BR> <I>Ex. The soldiers contested every inch of ground. The blackbirds contested one another for nesting territory.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to argue against; dispute about. <BR> <I>Ex. The lawyer contested the claim, and tried to prove that it was false.</I> (SYN) challenge. <DD><B> 3. </B>to call in question; controvert. <BR> <I>Ex. to contest an election or a will.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to try to win. adj. <B>contestable.</B> noun <B>contester.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contestant">
<B>contestant, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who contests; a person who takes part in a contest. <BR> <I>Ex. The brothers were contestants in the race.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a person who contests election returns, a will, a judgment, or other decision or question. </DL>
<B>contestee, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) a candidate whose election is contested by another. </DL>
<A NAME="context">
<B>context, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the parts directly before and after a word or sentence that influence its meaning. You can often tell the meaning of a word from its context. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) the immediate environment; attendant circumstances or conditions; background. <BR> <I>Ex. The negotiations ... should ... be regarded within the context of this new situation (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="contextual">
<B>contextual, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having to do with the context; depending on the context. <BR> <I>Ex. The contextual meaning of a word is the special meaning it has in a sentence.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>having to do with earlier conditions or events that help to explain something. adv. <B>contextually.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contextualism">
<B>contextualism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Philosophy.) the doctrine that statements or ideas have no useful meaning outside the context in which they appear. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Architecture.) the principle that a structure should fit naturally into its surroundings. noun <B>contextualist.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contextualize">
<B>contextualize, </B>transitive verb, <B>-ized,</B> <B>-izing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to place in context, especially one that is appropriate. <BR> <I>Ex. An album so well contextualized that it stands solidly on its own as a fabulous musical experience (Saturday Review).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="contexture">
<B>contexture, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a weaving together or a being woven together; texture. <DD><B> 2. </B>something woven together; fabric. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) the make-up and arrangement of the parts of a thing; structure. <BR> <I>Ex. View his whole life; 'tis nothing but a cunning contexture of dark arts and unequitable subterfuges (Laurence Sterne).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="contignation">
<B>contignation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Archaic.) <DD><B> 1a. </B>joining together of beams, boards, etc. <DD><B> b. </B>the way in which they are joined together. <DD><B> 2. </B>a floor or stage; framework. </DL>
<A NAME="contiguity">
<B>contiguity, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ties.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a being very close together; nearness. <BR> <I>Ex. The contiguity of the house and garage was a convenience in bad weather.</I> (SYN) proximity, adjacency. <DD><B> 2. </B>contact. <BR> <I>Ex. The candidate's contiguity with the common people served him well.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a continuous mass; unbroken stretch. <BR> <I>Ex. contiguity of mountain scenery.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="contiguous">
<B>contiguous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>in actual contact; touching. <BR> <I>Ex. A fence showed where the two farms were contiguous.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Geometry.) adjoining. <BR> <I>Ex. Two contiguous angles are next to each other.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>very close together; near; neighboring. adv. <B>contiguously.</B> noun <B>contiguousness.</B> </DL>
