contraction

筋収縮、陣痛

筋肉が縮むこと。特に出産時の子宮の収縮。

やさしい英語で： 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.

類義語： tightening

反対語： relaxation

よく使う表現： muscle contraction, painful contraction, feel a contraction

収縮、縮小

物が小さく、短く、または狭くなること。

やさしい英語で： 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.

使い方： contraction of something (Cooling causes contraction of the metal.); contraction in something (There was a contraction in demand for new cars.)

類義語： shrinkage, reduction

反対語： expansion

よく使う表現： thermal contraction, economic contraction, contraction in size

短縮形、縮約形

語を短くした形。省いた文字をアポストロフィーで示すことが多い。

やさしい英語で： 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?

使い方： contraction of something (Can't is a contraction of cannot.)

類義語： shortened form, short form

よく使う表現： use a contraction, common contraction, contraction of something

負債の発生、罹患

借金を負ったり、病気など望ましくないものを得たりすること。

やさしい英語で： 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.

使い方： contraction of something (The agreement restricts the contraction of new debt.)

類義語： incurrence, acquisition

よく使う表現： contraction of debt, contraction of disease, contraction of liabilities

音韻的縮約

独立した語の音が短くなり、別の語に結びつく変化。

やさしい英語で： 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.

使い方： contraction of A into B (The study examines the contraction of full words into clitics.)

類義語： cliticization

よく使う表現： phonological contraction, contraction of sounds, contraction into clitics