contract

Definitions


[ˈkɒntrakt], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a written or spoken agreement, especially one concerning employment, sales, or tenancy, that is intended to be enforceable by law
(e.g: he has just signed a contract keeping him with the club)


Phrases:

Origin:
Middle English: via Old French from Latin contractus, from contract- ‘drawn together, tightened’, from the verb contrahere, from con- ‘together’ + trahere ‘draw’


[kənˈtrakt], (Verb)

Definitions:
- decrease in size, number, or range
(e.g: glass contracts as it cools)

- enter into a formal and legally binding agreement
(e.g: the local authority will contract with a wide range of agencies to provide services)

- catch or develop (a disease or infectious agent)
(e.g: three people contracted a killer virus)

- become liable to pay (a debt)
(e.g: he contracted a debt of £3,300)


Phrases:

Origin:
Middle English: via Old French from Latin contractus, from contract- ‘drawn together, tightened’, from the verb contrahere, from con- ‘together’ + trahere ‘draw’




definition by Oxford Dictionaries