contraption
54
7.7
- noun
- /kənˈtræpʃən/
:
artilugio
- The old man built a complicated contraption that puzzled everyone at the fair.
Bringing us finally to the crazy crypto contraption of today's video.
- Bringing us finally to the crazy crypto contraption of today's video.
- Oh, dude, what is that contraption that just drops everything?
- Let me not break this beautiful coffee contraption.
- Thankfully for my ears, it's it's time to remove this contraption.
- This is the, the contraption that's behind the truck where you drop the container.
- We're going to the run fair, and Nala wants this contraption to become a mushroom.
Examples
-
Sweeping the room out, the landlady had discovered drawings of an odd contraption under the mattress.
Fiction book (1993) -
And the old man, he gets out this old contraption and he starts measuring my feet.
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But it looked kind of a like a crazy contraption, so we shall see.
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And then the big thing is this other contraption that is coming with it.
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We built this contraption so we know how it works.
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What do you want to ride that contraption for?
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We are going to build a contraption that will defend the rear.
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Ted, what is this contraption?
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Still, people could hardly wait to take a spin on the contraption.
Academic text (2011) -
So I've got a piece right here, looks like quite the contraption at this point.
Synonyms
∞
2.1
A machine or tool made to do a particular job
142
2.9
A small useful tool or machine for a special job
59
5.1
A small useful thing or tool for a particular job
56
7.1
A small device or tool whose name you do not know
45
6.1
A set of machines or tools made to do a particular job
7
8.7
A small thing or device whose name you do not know
6
5.6
A small object whose name you cannot remember
1
7.9
A simple machine made to do a specific job
1
8.9
A small object whose name you do not know
A complicated machine with many parts and no clear purpose
An odd gadget that seems useless and hard to understand
A small device you do not know the name of
Compounds
How Complicated
Surface Forms
Morphology
contraption = contrapt + ion
Although parts like 'trap' and the suffix '-tion' are visible, the word's formation and sense ('strange device') are historically uncertain and not a regular, predictable derivation from those parts for learners.
Etymology
Contraption is probably a playful mix of contrive ('to make' or 'invent') and trap ('device'), so a helpful way to remember it is as a made-up gadget or trick. That's why contraption means a strange or complicated machine whose purpose is not easy to see.