Contraction

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 tendion; the contraction produced by cold.

The process of shortening an operation.

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.

Something contracted or abbreviated, as a word or phrase; -- as, plenipo for plenipotentiary; crim. con. for criminal conversation, etc.

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.

A marriage contract.

(physiology) a shortening or tensing of a part or organ (especially of a muscle or muscle fiber)

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’"