contain 
5f. Reflexively, to conduct or deport (one's 
self) ; hence, to act ; do. 
And Mcrlyu toke the kynge in counseile, and seide that 
he sholdc contene hy in-self myrily. 
Merlin (E. E. T. 8.), i- 77. 
6f. To put restraint on; restrain; retain; 
withhold. 
That oath would sure contayne them greatlye, or the 
breache of it bring them to shorter vengeaunce. 
Spenser, State of Ireland. 
Others, when the bagpipe sings i' the nose, 
Cannot contain their urine. Shak., M. of V., iv. 1. 
To contain the spirit of anger is the worthiest discipline 
we can put ourselves to. Steele, Spectator, No. 138. 
I can no longer contain the expressions of my gratitude. 
Goldsmith, Good-natured Man, iii. 
7. Reflexively, to keep within bounds; hold in; 
moderate. 
Fear not, my lord ; we can contain ourselves. 
Shak., T. of the S., Ind., L 
Indeed I am angry, 
But I'll contain myself. Fletcher, Pilgrim, iv. 3. 
We . . . resolve, by God's help, to contain ourselves 
from seeking to vindicate our wrongs. 
N. Morton, New England's Memorial, p. 201. 
8. In math., to be divisible by, without a re- 
mainder. One integer is said to contain a second with 
respect to a third when it is the sum of two parts divisi- 
ble respectively by the second and third. = Sya. 1 and 2. 
To embrace, inclose. 
II. intrans. 1. To restrain or control desire, 
action, or emotion. 
If they cannot contain, let them marry. 1 Cor. vii. 9. 
He could contain no longer, but hasting home, invaded 
his territories, and professed open war. 
Burton, Auat. of Mel., p. 168. 
Yea, I was now taken with the love and mercy of God, 
that I remember I could not tell how to contain till I got 
home. Bunyan, in Southey's Life, p. 23. 
2f. To exist ; be held or included ; be or remain. 
The general court being assembled in the 2 of the 9th 
month, and finding, upon consultation, that two so oppo- 
site parties could not contain in the same body without 
apparent hazard of ruin to the whole, agreed to send away 
some of the principal. 
Winthrop, Hist. New England, I. 292. 
3f. To conduct one's self; appear in action ; be- 
have. 
That quen & hire doujter & Meliors the schene 
Wayteden out at a windowe wilfulli in-fere, 
How that komeli knijt kunteyned on his stede. 
William of J'alerne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 3301. 
containable (kon-ta'na-bl), a. [< contain + 
-able.] That may be contained or comprised. 
containantt (kon-ta'nant), n. [< contain + 
-anti. Cf. F. contenani, ppr. of contenir, con- 
tain, and see continent.] One who or that 
which contains ; a container. 
container (kon-ta'ner), n. One who or that 
which contains. 
containment (kon-tan'ment), n. [< contain + 
-ment.] That which is contained or comprised ; 
extent; contents. [Rare.] 
The containment of a rich man's estate. 
Fuller, Church Hist., IX. iv. 9. 
contakt, contaket. See conteck. 
contakion (kon-ta ki-on), n. ; pi. contakia (-a). 
[MGr. Kovramov, of uncertain origin ; tradition- 
ally identified with novramov, a scroll, because, 
according to the legend, the Theotocos appear- 
ed to Romanus and gave him a scroll (KOVTOKIOV) 
to eat, after which he had power to compose 
these hymns. Otherwise referred to MGr. Kovra- 
KIOV, dim. of Kwraf, a shaft, < Gr. KOVTOI;, a pole, 
shaft, or to MGr. Kovro'f, short, or to L. canti- 
cum, a song.] In the Gr. Ch.: (a) A short hymn 
in praise of a saint, introduced into a canon of 
odes. This class of hymns is said to have been 
the invention of St. Romanus, about A. D. 500. 
(6) A service-book containing only the liturgies 
of St. Chrysostom, St. Basil, and the Presancti- 
fied, as distinguished from the Euchologion, 
which adds the forms for other sacraments and 
offices. 
contaminable (kon-tam'i-na-bl), a. [=F. con- 
taminable = Pg. contaminavel =It. contaminabile, 
< LL. contaminabilis, < L. contaminare, contami- 
nate : see contaminate, v.] Capable of being 
contaminated. 
contaminate (kon-tam'i-nat), v. t. ; pret. and 
pp. contaminated, ppr. contaminating. [< L. con- 
taminatus, pp. of contaminare (> F. contaminer 
= Sp. Pg. c0Rtamtnar = It. contaminare), touch 
together, blend, mingle, corrupt, defile, < con- 
tdmen (eontdmin-) (found only in LL.), contact, 
defilement, contagion, for * contagmen, < contin- 
gere (contag-), touch: see contagion, contact.'} 
To render impure by mixture or contact; de- 
file; pollute; sully: tarnish; taint; corrupt: 
usually in a figurative sense. 
1222 
Shall we now 
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes? 
Shak., J. C., iv. 3. 
I would neither have simplicity imposed upon, nor vir- 
tue contaminated. Goldsmith, Vicar, xv. 
There is no practicable process known whereby water, 
once contaminated by infected sewage, can be so purified 
as to render its domestic use entirely free from risk. 
E. Frankland, Exper. in Chem., p. 612. 
= Syn. To infect, poison, corrupt. See taint. 
contaminate (kon-tam'i-nat), a. [< L. contami- 
natus, pp. : see the verb.] Contaminated; pol- 
luted; defiled; tainted; corrupt. [Archaic.] 
And that this body, consecrate to thee, 
By ruffian lust should be contaminate .' 
Shak., C. of E., ii. 2. 
This filthy rags of speech, this coil 
Of statement, comment, query, and response, 
Tatters all too contaminate for use, 
Have no renewing. 
Browning, Ring and Book, II. 179. 
Ten pounds of the most contaminate . . . tinned fruits. 
Science, III. 338. 
contamination (kqn-tam-i-na'shon), n. [= F. 
contamination = Sp. contaminacion = Pg. con- 
taminaqao = It. contaminazione, < LL. coittami- 
natio(n-), < L. contaminare, pp. contaminatus, 
defile: see contaminate, v.] The act of con- 
taminating, or the state of being contami- 
nated; pollution; defilement; taint. 
To be kept free from the touch or contamination of those 
who may be felons. Sumner, Prison Discipline. 
Though chemistry cannot prove any existing infectious 
property, it can prove, if existing, certain degrees of sew- 
age contamination. E. Frankland, Exper. in Chem., p. 611. 
contaminative (kon-tam'i-na-tiv), a. [< con- 
taminate + -ive.] Tending to contaminate. 
contango (kon-tang'go), n. [Origin obscure.] 
On the London stock exchange, the charge 
made by a broker for carrying over a bargain 
to the next fortnightly settling-day; the con- 
sideration paid by the buyer of stock for the 
privilege of deferring settlement until the next 
settling-day. 
Contango is just the opposite of backwardation, for it 
is used to denote the rate which is charged if one cannot 
pay for the stock one has purchased on the settling day, 
and so postpones the payment until the next account. 
N. and Q., 6th ser., XI. 458. 
Contango day, the day on which contangos are fixed ; 
the second day before settling-day. Also called continua- 
tion day. 
contankerous (kon-tang'ke-rus), a. Same as 
cantankerous. 
conteckt, [ME., also contek, conteke, contack, 
contak, cuntake, also contakt, < OF. (AF.) cow- 
tec, contek, conteck, m., also conteke, f., con- 
tention, quarrel, resistance ; cf. contekier, con- 
tequier, contecquier, contechier, contichier, touch, 
appar. < con- + *tek (as in tek, teke, teque, teche, 
taiche, etc., a mark, etc.), with the verbal sense 
'fasten upon, touch,' as in the related attach, 
attack: see attach, attack, tatch, tetch, tetchy, 
touchy. The word seems to have been notion- 
ally associated with ME. content, < OF. content, 
cuntent, contend, contant, etc., dispute, quarrel- 
ing, contention, < contendre, dispute, quarrel, 
contend : see contend, contents. Hence, prob., 
contankerous, cantankerous, q. v.] 1. Conten- 
tion; dispute; strife; quarreling. 
Contek with bloody knyf and scharp manace. 
Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 1. 1145. 
Of conteke and fool-hastifnesse 
He hath a right gret besinesse. 
Gower, Coat. Amant., I. 316. 
Ne in good nor goodnes taken delight, 
But kindle coales of conteck and yre. 
Spenser, Shep. Cal., September. 
2. Ill treatment ; contumely ; abuse. 
Thei . . . token this kyngis seruauntis, and punishideu 
with conteke and killiden hem. 
Wyclif, Select Works (ed. Arnold), I. 49. 
conteckt, v. i. [ME. contecken, conteken, < con- 
teck, n.] To contend ; strive. 
This two schires hem mette, 
And conteckede for this holy bodi, and f aste to gade ere sette. 
Life of St. Kenelm (Early Eng. Poems, ed. Furnivall), 1. 309. 
conteckourt, [ME., also contekour, contacour 
(contacowre) ; < conteck, v., + -our.] A quar- 
reler; a quarrelsome person; a disturber of 
the peace. 
A Coward, and Contacowre, manhod is the mene ; 
A wrecche, and wastour, mesure is be-tweue. 
Booke of Precedence (E. E. T. S., extra ser.), i. 66. 
COntectiont (kon-tek'shon), n. [< L. as if *con- 
tectio(n-), < coMte(/ere,pp. contectus, cover, < cow-, 
together, + tegere, cover: see tegwmen.] A cov- 
ering. 
Fig-leaves . . . aptly formed for . . . contection of those 
parts. Sir T. Browne, Miscellaneous Tracts, p. 15. 
contekt, n. See conteck. 
contemplant 
COntemeratet (kon-tem'e-rat), v. t. [< L. con- 
temeratus, pp. of ' eo-ntemerare, defile, < com- (in- 
tensive) + temerare, treat rashly, violate : see 
temerous, temerity.] To violate; pollute. Bailey. 
contemerationt, [< confederate + -ion.] A 
violation. Coles, 1717. 
contemn (kon-tem'), t'. t. [< L. contemnere, pp. 
contemptus, despise, < com- (intensive) + tem- 
nere, despise.] 1. To consider and treat as 
contemptible and despicable ; despise ; scorn. 
Ha! are we contemned? 
Is there so little awe of our disdain ? 
B. Jonson, Cynthia's Revels, v. 3. 
It is a brave act of valour to contemn death. 
Sir T. Browne, Religio Medici, i. 44. 
Noble he was, contemning all things mean. 
Crabbe, Parish Register. 
We learn to contemn what we do not fear ; and we can- 
not love what we contemn. 
J. H. Newman, Parochial Sermons, i. 304. 
2. To slight or disregard ; neglect as unworthy 
of regard ; reject with disdain. 
Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? Ps. x. 13. 
What is there the Soveraigns & Princes of the earth do 
more justly resent . . . than to have their Laws despised, 
their Persons affronted, and their Authority contemned ? 
Stillinffjleet, Sermons, I. ii. 
= Syn. Disdain, Despise, etc. (see scorn) ; look down upon, 
spurn. 
cpntemnedly (kon-tem'ned-li), adv. Contempt- 
ibly; despicably. Sylvester. 
COntemner (kon-tem'ner), n. One who con- 
temns ; a despiser ; a scorner. 
He was, I heard say, a seditious man, a contemner of 
common prayer. Latimer, Misc. Selections. 
contemningly (kon-tem'ning-li), adv. In a con- 
temptuous manner; slightingly. 
contempert- (kon-tem'per), v. t. [= Sp. con- 
temperar = It. contcmperare, < L. contcmperare, 
moderate by mixing, < com-, together, + tem- 
perare, mix, temper : see temper, v.] To mod- 
erate; qualify; temper. 
The leaves qualify and contemper the heat. 
Ray, Works of Creation. 
contemperamentt (kon-tem 'per- a -ment), n. 
[= It. contemperamen'io, < L. as if "contempera- 
mentum,<. contemperare, contemper; after tem- 
perament.] Modification or qualification in de- 
gree; proportion. 
An equal contemperament of the warmth of our bodies 
to that of the hottest part of the atmosphere. 
Derham, Physico-Theology, i. 2, note 3. 
COntemperatet (kon-tem'per-at), f . t. ; pret. and 
pp. contemperatedj ppr. contemplating. [< L. 
contemperatus, pp. of contemperare, contemper: 
see contemper.] To temper ; bring to another, 
especially a lower, degree with respect to any 
quality, as warmth ; moderate. 
The mighty Nile and Niger . . . contemperate the air. 
Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err., vi. 10. 
contemperationt (kpn-tem-pe-ra'shon), n. [= 
F. contemplation, < LL. contemperaiio(n-), < L. 
contemperare, pp. contemperatus, moderate: see 
contemper.] 1. The act of moderating or tem- 
pering. 2. Proportionate mixture ; combina- 
tion. 
I would further know why this contemporaHon of light 
and shade, that is made, for example, by the skin of a ripe 
cherry, should exhibit a red and not a green. 
Boyle, Works, I. 695. 
COntemperaturet (kon-tem'per-a-tur), n. [< L. 
contemperare, after temperature.] The quality 
of being contempered; proportion; tempera- 
ture. 
The different contemperature of the elements. 
South, Works, IX. ix. 
A mixture 
And fair contemperature extracted from 
All our best faculties. 
Chapman and Shirley, Chabot, Admiral of France, iv. 
contemplable (kpn-tem'pla-bl), a. [< LL. con- 
templabilis (found only in sense of 'taking 
aim'), < L. contemplari, look at: see contem- 
plate.] Capable of being contemplated or 
thought about. Feltham. 
COntemplamen (kon-tem-pla'men), n. [NL.,< 
L. contemplari, look at: see contemplate.] An 
object of contemplation. Coleridge. 
contemplancet, [ME., < OF. eonteauilanee, < 
roiitempler, ppr. contemplant, contemplate: see 
contemplate.] Contemplation. Chaucer. 
contemplant (kon-tem'plant), . [< L. co- 
triiiplan(t-)s, ppr. of contenijilttri, contemplate: 
see contemplate.] Contemplating ; observant. 
[Rare.] 
Contemplant Spirits ! ye that hover o'er 
With untired gaze the immeasurable fount 
Ebullient with creative Deity. 
Coleridf/e, Religious Musings. 
