contraction
/kɒnˈtɹæk.ʃən/
A reversible reduction in size.
A period of economic decline or negative growth.
The country's economic contraction was caused by high oil prices.
A shortening of a muscle when it is used.
A strong and often painful shortening of the uterine muscles prior to or during childbirth.
A process whereby one or more sounds of a free morpheme (a word) are lost or reduced, such that it becomes a bound morpheme (a clitic) that attaches phonologically to an adjacent word.
In English didn't, that's, and wanna, the endings -n't, -'s, and -a arose by contraction.
(English orthography) A word with omitted letters replaced by an apostrophe, usually resulting from the above process.
"Don't" is a contraction of "do not."
A shorthand symbol indicating an omission for the purpose of brevity.
The process of contracting a disease.
the contraction of malaria
Syncope, the loss of sounds from within a word.
The acquisition of something, generally negative.
Our contraction of debt in this quarter has reduced our ability to attract investors.
A distinct stage of wound healing, wherein the wound edges are gradually pulled together.