Etymology of the English word contract
the English word
contractderived from the Latin word
contractus (close, narrow, restricted; shrinking, narrowing; undertaking; violated; dishonored; touched carnally)
derived from the Latin word
contrahere (bring, draw together, in; enter into, upon relationship, agreement; sadden, depress, diminish)
derived from the Classical Latin word
trahere (to draw; draw, drag, haul)
using the Latin prefix
con- (together)
derived from the Latin prefix
com-derived from the Latin word
cum (with)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*kom (near, with, together)
Date
The earliest known usage of contract in English dates from the 16th century.
Derivations in English
contracted,
contractile,
contractive,
subcontract,
contractingCognates
Dutch
contracteren, French
contrat, French
contracter, German
kontrahieren, German
Kontrakt, Italian
contratto, Lithuanian
kontraktas, Norwegian
kontrahere, Polish
kontrakt, Russian
контpaкт, Spanish
contrato, Swedish
kontrahera, Yiddish
kontraktUsage
Word found in Modern English
