contraption
/kənˈtɹæp.ʃən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.82 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A machine that is complicated and precarious.
Example Sentences
- "“Yes, sir, if that was the language of love, I'll eat my hat,” said the blood relation, alluding, I took it, to the beastly straw contraption in which she does her gardening, concerning which I can only say that it is almost as foul as Uncle Tom's Sherlock Holmes deerstalker, which has frightened more crows than any other lid in Worcestershire."
Etymology
Possibly a Western US English dialectal word of unknown origin. First attested in the early 19th century. Perhaps from contrive + trap + -tion, while also possibly approximating construction. Chambers suggests contrivance + adaption. Neither Chambers nor Concise Oxford suggests a US origin. Compare cantrip, cantrap (Scots dialect), a wilful piece of trickery.
Origin
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /kənˈtɹæp.ʃən/
- British English: /kənˈtɹæp.ʃən/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
contraptionary
contraptor