Defn: The process of shortening an operation.
3. The act of incurring or becoming subject to, as liabilities, obligation, debts, etc.; the process of becoming subject to; as, the contraction of a disease.
4. Something contracted or abbreviated, as a word or phrase; — as, plenipo for plenipotentiary; crim. con. for criminal conversation, etc.
5. (Gram.)
Defn: The shortening of a word, or of two words, by the omission of a letter or letters, or by reducing two or more vowels or syllables to one; as, ne'er for never; can't for can not; don't for do not; it's for it is.
6. A marriage contract. [Obs.] Shak.
CONTRACTIVE
Con*tract"ive, a.
Defn: Tending to contract; having the property or power or power of contracting.
CONTRACTOR
Con*tract"or, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: One who contracts; one of the parties to a bargain; one who covenants to do anything for another; specifically, one who contracts to perform work on a rather large scale, at a certain price or rate, as in building houses or making a railroad.