Wordwyrt

contrivance

/kənˈtɹaɪvəns/kuhn-TRIGH-vuhns
/kənˈtɹaɪvəns/kuhn-TRIGH-vuhns

Meaningsomething contrived

Common meaning: a clever device or scheme

Journey through time

  1. Proto-Indo-European*tark-‘twist, turn round, torture, press’source
  2. Old Frenchtrover‘to find’source
  3. Old Frenchcontrover‘to find out’source
  4. Middle Englishcontrovensource
  5. Englishcontrive‘devise cleverly’
  6. Englishformed in English from contrivecontrivance‘a clever device or scheme’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Formed in English from contrive + -ance.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), CONTRIVE, p.132 · scan

Source words

  • trover Old French · source word “to find”

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app