I. ˈkänˌtakt noun
( -s )
Etymology: French or Latin; French, from Latin contactus, from contactus, past participle of contingere to touch on all sides — more at contingent
1.
a. : union or junction of body surfaces : a touching or meeting
cooled by contact with the air
sexual contact
: impact
body contact in football and hockey
b. geometry : the meeting of curves or surfaces so as to have tangents or tangent planes in common
c. : the apparent touching or mutual tangency of the limbs of any two celestial bodies or of the disk of one body with the shadow of another during an eclipse, transit, or occultation
d.
(1) : the junction or touching surface of two electrical conductors through which a current passes
(2) : a special part (as a platinum stud) made for such a junction for temporary or momentary connection
2.
a. : association or relationship (as in physical or mental or business or social meeting or communication)
students and teachers in daily contact
Japan's new contacts with Europe
: direct experience through the senses
a mental patient's infrequent contacts with reality
b. : a condition or an instance of meeting, connecting, or communicating
ordinary men were made to feel a direct contact with their God — H.S.Canby
keep in contact with the other members
neither party had made any contact with the other
made contact with the enemy
c. : acculturation
d. : direct visual observation of the surface of the ground or water made from an airplane especially as an aid to judging position and properly guiding the airplane
flying by contact rather than flying by instruments
e. : an instance of establishing communication with someone
a radio contact
or of observing or receiving a significant signal from a person or object (as by radar or sonar)
got three contacts on the radarscope
also : a person or object with which such contact is made
3.
a. : a person serving as go-between, messenger, agent, or source of special information especially in a secret activity
the contact for the syndicate
a newspaperman's contacts are often cabdrivers or bartenders
b. : any person or animal that has been in contact with a person or animal affected with a contagious disease
4. : the often irregular surface that constitutes the junction of two bodies of rock different in kind, age, or origin
5. : contact lens
II. “, kənˈt-, känˈt- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
: to bring into contact : enter or be in contact with:
a. : to press against : meet , touch
brake shoes contact the inside diameter of the drum
: join
where the line of ordinary low water … directly contacted the open sea — U.S.Code
b. : to make connection with : get in communication with : reach — used often where the means is not precisely specified
contact your local dealer
the salesman contacted a few prospects
c. : to talk or confer with : interview : apply to : approach
the first company you contact may not … use your services — W.J.Reilly
the department … was contacted to learn of availability and costs — R.C.Emery
intransitive verb
: to make contact
the point at which the two surfaces contact
III. ˈkänˌtakt adjective
1. : of, maintaining, or establishing contact
a contact man
contact area
: involving, permitting, or activated by contact
contact weather
contact fuse
2. geology : lying along or near or genetically connected with a contact
a contact deposit
3. : characterized by or normally involving body contact between players
football and hockey are contact sports
4. : caused or transmitted by direct or indirect contact (as with an allergen or a contagious disease)
contact allergy
contact transmission
IV. adverb
: by direct visual observation of the earth
the ceiling was so low that the patrol was flown contact — J.L.Foley