contract
Definitions
A legally binding agreement between two or more parties.
合同；契约
To draw together so as to become smaller, shorter, or narrower.
收缩；缩小
To enter into a formal agreement to do something.
订立合同；承包
To catch or develop (an illness).
感染（疾病）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedcon- (together) + tract (pull, from trahere) = 'pull together.' Pull a thing inward and it gets smaller — that's the physical sense (a muscle contracts). Pull two parties together into a single binding bond and you get the legal sense: a contract. The same image of drawing-together even covers 'contract a disease' — you pull the illness into yourself.
Root tra still carries 109 more wordsWhy It Means This
Contract is a stress-shifting word that splits into two everyday lives from one Latin image. As a noun (CON-tract) it lives in law and business; as a verb (con-TRACT) it means either 'shrink' or 'agree by contract' or 'catch a disease.' All three trace back to trahere's 'pull together': shrinking pulls matter inward, an agreement pulls parties into one bond, and an infection pulls a pathogen into the body.
Usage Guide
Stress moves with meaning: noun CON-tract (a document/agreement), verb con-TRACT (shrink, or agree, or catch). 'Contract a disease' is formal/medical — in casual speech people say 'catch' or 'get.' In business, 'sign a contract' (n.) vs 'contract out / subcontract' (v.) are different ideas.
Example Sentences
- 1.
Both sides signed a five-year contract before the project began.
- 2.
Metal contracts as it cools, so engineers leave small gaps.
- 3.
She contracted malaria while traveling through the region.
Easily Confused
contract vs contractor vs contraction — a contract is the agreement; a contractor is the person/firm hired under one; a contraction is the act of shrinking (or a shortened word form like "don't"). Same root, three jobs.