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Glite Dictionary
contracting

contracting

28 4.0
The act of catching a disease or infection
  • noun
  • /kənˈtræktɪŋ/
translation icon : contagio

Examples

  • Edith felt something in her chest contracting, as if her heart had turned into a fist.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • IUCN likewise has active members in all but two of the 39 contracting parties to the treaty.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Third, transparency bolsters both competition and integrity by ensuring government contracting occurs in a fair and open manner.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Cooperative purchasing involves contracting authorities combining their purchasing power to obtain better pricing for goods and services they need.

    Academic text (2017)

  • The ACME contracting company.

    The Pawnbroker (1965)

  • Contracting contracting the flu led to a week of missed work and hospital visits.

  • I was worried about contracting a cold since many people were sneezing around me.

  • Children are at a higher risk of contracting infections during the winter months.

Synonyms

infection
vscontracting
  • Specialized
594 3.1

Harmful germs enter the body and make you sick

describes the process of becoming ill rather than the illness itself

Antonyms

prevention
221 2.4

Stopping something harmful from happening

recovering
3.2

Getting better after an illness or operation

Surface Forms

contracting singular
contractings plural

Morphology

contracting = contract (transparent) = contract + ing

Formed by adding the gerund/participle suffix '-ing' to the verb 'contract' (in the sense 'to catch a disease'), so the meaning 'the process of becoming infected' is directly derived.

Etymology

The word contracting comes from Latin parts con- ('together') and tract ('to pull'), the same root as tractor. So to contract an illness is like 'pulling' a disease into your body, which is why it means 'catching' it.