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Webster 1913 Edition


Contra

Con′tra

.
A Latin adverb and preposition, signifying against, contrary, in opposition, etc., entering as a prefix into the composition of many English words. Cf.
Counter
,
adv.
& p
ref.

Webster 1828 Edition


Contra

CONTRA.

A Latin preposition signifying against, in opposition, entering into the composition of some English words. It appears to be a compound of con and tra, like intra; tra for W. tras. Fr. contre.

Definition 2024


Contra

Contra

See also: contra, contrà, and contra-

English

Noun

Contra (plural Contras)

  1. A member of any of various rightist guerrilla groups violently opposing the socialist Sandinista government of Nicaragua and secretly funded by the United States government in the 1980s.

Translations

Anagrams


German

Proper noun

Contra m (genitive Contras)

  1. Contra

contra

contra

See also: Contra, contrà, and contra-

English

Preposition

contra

  1. against; contrary or opposed to

Adverb

contra (comparative more contra, superlative most contra)

  1. to the contrary to something

Translations

Noun

contra (plural contras)

  1. (business) a deal to swap goods or services
  2. (accounting) an entry that cancels another entry
  3. (music, informal) any of the musical instruments in the contrabass range, e.g. contrabassoon, contrabass clarinet or, especially, double bass
  4. (dance) A contra dance.
  5. (obsolete, US, New England, dance) A country dance.
    • 2001. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: North America. Garland Publishing. Ellen Koskoff (Ed.). Pg. 232.
      Folk histories record that contras were gradually displaced by the introduction of the quadrille and the new couple dances.

Anagrams


Asturian

Etymology

From Latin contra.

Preposition

contra

  1. against

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin contra.

Adverb

contra

  1. against
    • 2009, Jean Grave, Les Aventures d'en Nono:
      Més endavant, va parlar contra la gent sense família
      But before, he was going to speak against people without family

Finnish

Noun

contra

  1. Contra (anti-Sandinista fighter)

Declension

Inflection of contra (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
nominative contra contrat
genitive contran contrien
partitive contraa contria
illative contraan contriin
singular plural
nominative contra contrat
accusative nom. contra contrat
gen. contran
genitive contran contrien
contrainrare
partitive contraa contria
inessive contrassa contrissa
elative contrasta contrista
illative contraan contriin
adessive contralla contrilla
ablative contralta contrilta
allative contralle contrille
essive contrana contrina
translative contraksi contriksi
instructive contrin
abessive contratta contritta
comitative contrineen

Synonyms


French

Verb

contra

  1. third-person singular past historic of contrer

Anagrams


Italian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkontra/, [ˈkon̪.t̪r̺ä]
  • Hyphenation: cón‧tra

Etymology 1

From Latin contrā.

Adverb

contra

Preposition

contra

  1. Obsolete form of contro.

See also

Etymology 2

Inflected form of contrare

Verb

contra

  1. third-person singular present indicative of contrare
  2. second-person singular imperative of contrare

Anagrams


Ladin

Etymology

From Latin contra.

Preposition

contra

  1. against

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *ḱent- (down, below, with, far, along, against), from *ḱen- (to set oneself in motion, arise). Cognate with Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽𐌰 (hindana, from beyond), Old Norse hindr (obstacle), Old Norse handan (from that side, beyond), Old High German hintana (behind), Old English hinder (behind, back, in the farthest part, down), More at hinder, contrary.

Adverb

contrā

  1. against
  2. opposite to
  3. contrary to
  4. otherwise
  5. in return, back

Preposition

contrā (+ accusative)

  1. against
  2. across from, opposite

Descendants

References

  • contra in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • contra in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • CONTRA in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
  • Félix Gaffiot (1934), “contra”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
  • Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
    • to contradict some one: dicere contra aliquem or aliquid (not contradicere alicui)
    • it is a breach of duty to..: contra officium est c. Inf.
    • for the advantage of the state; in the interests of the state: e re publica (opp. contra rem p.)
    • a thing is illegal: aliquid contra legem est
    • to foster revolutionary projects: contra rem publicam sentire
    • to be guilty of high treason: contra rem publicam facere
    • to conspire with some one: conspirare cum aliquo (contra aliquem)
    • against all law, human and divine: contra ius fasque
  • contra in Ramminger, Johann (accessed 16 July 2016) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin contra.

Pronunciation

  • (Portugal, Brazil) IPA(key): /kõ.tɾɐ/
  • Hyphenation: con‧tra

Preposition

contra

  1. against

Antonyms

  • a favor
  • em prol
  • em favor
  • em defesa

Spanish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈko̞n.tra̠]

Etymology

From Latin contra.

Preposition

contra

  1. against, versus
    la lucha contra el prejuicio
    the fight against prejudice

Synonyms

  • en oposición a

Antonyms

Related terms

Derived terms

Descendants

Adverb

contra

  1. opposite, facing

Synonyms

  • en oposición a

Antonyms

Anagrams