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contractĭo , ōnis, f. contraho,
I.a drawing together, contraction (in good prose; most freq. in Cic.).
I. Lit.: “contractio et porrectio digitorum,” Cic. N. D. 2, 60, 150: “bracchii (opp. projectio),” id. Or. 18, 59: “superciliorum (opp. remissio),” id. Off. 1, 41, 146: “frontis,” id. Sest. 8, 19: “umerorum (opp. allevatio),” Quint. 11, 3, 83: “nervorum,” a contraction, cramp, Scrib. Comp. 255; “without nervorum,” Plin. 20, 17, 73, § 191: bonorum, i. e. consolidation, Gai Inst. 2, 155.—Hence,
B. Transf., an abridging, shortening, abridgment, shortness: “paginae,” Cic. Att. 5, 4, 4: syllabae, shortening in pronunciation (opp. productio), id. de Or. 3, 50, 196: “orationis (opp. longitudo),” id. Part. Or. 6, 19.— *
II. Trop.: animi in dolore, dejection, undue depression, despondency (opp. effusio animi in laetitiā), Cic. Tusc. 4, 31, 66; cf. id. ib. 4, 6, 14: animos demittunt et contrahunt; v. contraho, II. B.
A Latin Dictionary. Founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary. revised, enlarged, and in great part rewritten by. Charlton T. Lewis, Ph.D. and. Charles Short, LL.D. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1879.

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hide References (9 total)
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (9):
    • Cicero, Letters to Atticus, 5.4.4
    • Cicero, For Sestius, 8.19
    • Cicero, On Oratory, 3.50
    • Cicero, de Natura Deorum, 2.60
    • Cicero, Tusculanae Disputationes, 4.31
    • Cicero, De Officiis, 1.41
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 11, 3.83
    • Cicero, Partitiones Oratoriae, 6.19
    • Cicero, Orator, 18.59
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