contraction

contraction

Resserrement d’un muscle, notamment de l’utérus pendant l’accouchement.

En anglais simple : A tightening of a muscle, especially one in the womb during childbirth.

• She felt her first contraction.
• The contractions came every five minutes.
• Muscle contraction allows you to bend your arm.

Synonymes : tightening

Contraires : relaxation

Expressions courantes : muscle contraction, painful contraction, feel a contraction

contraction, rétrécissement

Processus par lequel quelque chose devient plus petit, plus court ou plus serré.

En anglais simple : The process of becoming smaller, shorter, or tighter.

• Cooling causes contraction.
• The metal's contraction left a gap in the joint.
• The country experienced a sharp economic contraction.

Comment l'utiliser : contraction of something (Cooling causes contraction of the metal.); contraction in something (There was a contraction in demand for new cars.)

Synonymes : shrinkage, reduction

Contraires : expansion

Expressions courantes : thermal contraction, economic contraction, contraction in size

contraction

Forme raccourcie d’un ou plusieurs mots, où une apostrophe indique souvent les lettres supprimées.

En anglais simple : A short form of a word or words, often using an apostrophe to show missing letters.

• Don't is a contraction.
• We use contractions often when we speak.
• Is you're a contraction of you are?

Comment l'utiliser : contraction of something (Can't is a contraction of cannot.)

Synonymes : shortened form, short form

Expressions courantes : use a contraction, common contraction, contraction of something

contraction

Fait de prendre une dette à sa charge ou d’attraper quelque chose d’indésirable, comme une maladie.

En anglais simple : The act of taking on a debt or acquiring something unwanted, such as a disease.

• The contraction of debt worried the directors.
• They investigated the circumstances surrounding his contraction of the disease.
• The contract forbids the contraction of further financial obligations.

Comment l'utiliser : contraction of something (The agreement restricts the contraction of new debt.)

Synonymes : incurrence, acquisition

Expressions courantes : contraction of debt, contraction of disease, contraction of liabilities

contraction phonologique

Changement de sons qui raccourcit un mot indépendant et le rattache à un autre.

En anglais simple : A sound change that shortens a separate word so it becomes attached to another word.

• Contraction can remove sounds from a word.
• Through contraction, not becomes the attached form n't.
• The lecture explained contraction in rapid speech.

Comment l'utiliser : contraction of A into B (The study examines the contraction of full words into clitics.)

Synonymes : cliticization

Expressions courantes : phonological contraction, contraction of sounds, contraction into clitics