con·trac·tion /kənˈtrækʃən/
 收縮,縮寫式,害病
 con·trac·tion /kənˈtrækʃən/ 名詞
 收縮,攣縮,牙弓內縮
 contraction
 收縮
 contraction
 收縮
 Con·trac·tion n.
 1. The act or process of contracting, shortening, or shrinking; the state of being contracted; as, contraction of the heart, of the pupil of the eye, or of a tendon; the contraction produced by cold.
 2. Math. 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. 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.]
 ◄ ►
 contraction
      n 1: (physiology) a shortening or tensing of a part or organ
           (especially of a muscle or muscle fiber) [syn: muscular
           contraction, muscle contraction]
      2: the process or result of becoming smaller or pressed
         together; "the contraction of a gas on cooling" [syn: compression,
          condensation]
      3: a word formed from two or more words by omitting or
         combining some sounds; "`won't' is a contraction of `will
         not'"; "`o'clock' is a contraction of `of the clock'"
      4: the act of decreasing (something) in size or volume or
         quantity or scope [ant: expansion]