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contra-
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pref.
1. Against; opposite; contrasting: contraposition.
2. Lower in pitch: contrabassoon.

[Middle English, from Latin contrā-, from contrā, against; see CONTRA. Sense 2, Italian, from Latin contrā.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
con·tra (kŏntrə)
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prep.
In contrast or opposition to; against.
adv.
In opposition to something stated or expected; to the contrary.

[Latin contrā, against; see kom in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
Con·tra (kŏntrə, kōn-)
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n.
A member of the rebel forces that opposed the leftist government of Nicaragua in the 1980s with the funds and support of the United States government.

[Spanish, short for contrarrevolucionario, counterrevolutionary, from contrarrevolución, counterrevolution : contra-, contra- (from Latin contrā-; see CONTRA-) + revolución, revolution (from Late Latin revolūtiō, revolūtiōn-; see REVOLUTION).]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.