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contra-

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.]

con·tra

(kŏntrə)

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.]

Con·tra

(kŏntrə, kōn-)

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).]

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.

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