English

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Etymology

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From Middle English contencion, borrowed from Old French contencion, from Latin contentio, contentionem, from contendō (past participle contentus); equivalent to contend +‎ -tion (similar formation to attention).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /kənˈtɛnʃən/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Hyphenation: con‧ten‧tion

Noun

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contention (countable and uncountable, plural contentions)

  1. Argument, contest, debate, strife, struggle.
  2. A point maintained in an argument, or a line of argument taken in its support; the subject matter of discussion of strife; a position taken or contended for.
    It is my contention that state lotteries are taxes on stupid people.
  3. (computing, telecommunications) Competition by parts of a system or its users for a limited resource.

Synonyms

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Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Related terms of contention

Translations

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References

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Further reading

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Old French

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin contentio, contentionem. Cf. the inherited form contençon, and see also tençon.

Noun

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contention oblique singularf (oblique plural contentions, nominative singular contention, nominative plural contentions)

  1. dispute; quarrel; disagreement
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Descendants

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  • English: contention
  • French: contention