contact

con•tact

[[t]ˈkɒn tækt[/t]] n.

1) the act or state of touching; a touching or meeting, as of two things or people

2) immediate proximity or association

3) the act or state of being in communication

4) a person one knows through whom one can gain access to information, favors, influential people, etc

5) elm a junction of electric conductors, usu. metal, that controls current flow, often completing or interrupting a circuit

6) gel the interface, generally a planar surface, between geologic strata that differ in lithology or age

7) med a person who has lately been exposed to an infected person

8) cvb

contact lens

9) to put or bring into contact

10) to communicate with:

We'll contact you by phone[/ex]

11) to enter into or be in contact

12) involving or produced by touching or proximity:

a contact allergy[/ex]

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Etymology: 1620–30; < L contāctus act of touching con`tact•ee′, n. con•tac•tu•al kɒnˈtæk tʃu əl adj. con•tac′tu•al•ly, adv. usage: Many verbs in English have derived from nouns. One can head an organization or toe the mark; butter the bread or bread the cutlet. Grammatically at least, there is no justification for the once frequently heard criticism of contact used as a verb, esp. in the meaning “to communicate with.” Probably because there is no other one-word verb in the language to express this particular idea, contact as a verb has become standard in all types of speech and writing.