Adjacent Words

Contingent definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CONTINGENT, a.
1. Falling or coming by chance, that is, without design or expectation on our part; accidental; casual. On our part, we speak of chance or contingencies; but with an infinite being, nothing can be contingent.
2. In law, depending on an uncertainty; as a contingent remainder.
CONTINGENT, n.
1. A fortuitous event; that which comes without our design, foresight or expectation.
2. That which falls to one in a division or apportionment among a number; a quota; an equal or suitable share; proportion. Each prince furnishes his contingent of men, money and munitions.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: possible but not certain to occur; "they had to plan for contingent expenses"
2: determined by conditions or circumstances that follow; "arms sales contingent on the approval of congress" [syn: contingent, contingent on, contingent upon, dependent on, dependant on, dependent upon, dependant upon, depending on]
3: uncertain because of uncontrollable circumstances; "the results of confession were not contingent, they were certain"- George Eliot n
1: a gathering of persons representative of some larger group; "each nation sent a contingent of athletes to the Olympics"
2: a temporary military unit; "the peacekeeping force includes one British contingent" [syn: contingent, detail]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin contingent-, contingens, present participle of contingere to have contact with, befall, from com- + tangere to touch — more at tangent Date: 14th century 1. likely but not certain to happen ; possible 2. not logically necessary; especially empirical 3. a. happening by chance or unforeseen causes b. subject to chance or unseen effects ; unpredictable c. intended for use in circumstances not completely foreseen 4. dependent on or conditioned by something else <payment is contingent on fulfillment of certain conditions> 5. not necessitated ; determined by free choice Synonyms: see accidental • contingently adverb II. noun Date: 1548 1. something contingent ; contingency 2. a representative group ; delegation, detachment <a diplomatic contingent>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 (usu. foll. by on, upon) conditional, dependent (on an uncertain event or circumstance). 2 associated. 3 (usu. foll. by to) incidental. 4 a that may or may not occur. b fortuitous; occurring by chance. 5 true only under existing or specified conditions. --n. a body (esp. of troops, ships, etc.) forming part of a larger group. Derivatives: contingently adv. Etymology: L contingere (as COM-, tangere touch)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Use Use, n. [OE. us use, usage, L. usus, from uti, p. p. usus, to use. See Use, v. t.] 1. The act of employing anything, or of applying it to one's service; the state of being so employed or applied; application; employment; conversion to some purpose; as, the use of a pen in writing; his machines are in general use. Books can never teach the use of books. --Bacon. This Davy serves you for good uses. --Shak. When he framed All things to man's delightful use. --Milton. 2. Occasion or need to employ; necessity; as, to have no further use for a book. --Shak. 3. Yielding of service; advantage derived; capability of being used; usefulness; utility. God made two great lights, great for their use To man. --Milton. 'T is use alone that sanctifies expense. --Pope. 4. Continued or repeated practice; customary employment; usage; custom; manner; habit. Let later age that noble use envy. --Spenser. How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, Seem to me all the uses of this world! --Shak. 5. Common occurrence; ordinary experience. [R.] O C[ae]sar! these things are beyond all use. --Shak. 6. (Eccl.) The special form of ritual adopted for use in any diocese; as, the Sarum, or Canterbury, use; the Hereford use; the York use; the Roman use; etc. From henceforth all the whole realm shall have but one use. --Pref. to Book of Common Prayer. 7. The premium paid for the possession and employment of borrowed money; interest; usury. [Obs.] Thou art more obliged to pay duty and tribute, use and principal, to him. --Jer. Taylor. 8. [In this sense probably a corruption of OF. oes, fr. L. opus need, business, employment, work. Cf. Operate.] (Law) The benefit or profit of lands and tenements. Use imports a trust and confidence reposed in a man for the holding of lands. He to whose use or benefit the trust is intended shall enjoy the profits. An estate is granted and limited to A for the use of B. 9. (Forging) A stab of iron welded to the side of a forging, as a shaft, near the end, and afterward drawn down, by hammering, so as to lengthen the forging. Contingent, or Springing, use (Law), a use to come into operation on a future uncertain event. In use. (a) In employment; in customary practice observance. (b) In heat; -- said especially of mares. --J. H. Walsh. Of no use, useless; of no advantage. Of use, useful; of advantage; profitable. Out of use, not in employment. Resulting use (Law), a use, which, being limited by the deed, expires or can not vest, and results or returns to him who raised it, after such expiration. Secondary, or Shifting, use, a use which, though executed, may change from one to another by circumstances. --Blackstone. Statute of uses (Eng. Law), the stat. 27 Henry VIII., cap. 10, which transfers uses into possession, or which unites the use and possession. To make use of, To put to use, to employ; to derive service from; to use.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Contingent Con*tin"gent, a. [L. contingens, -entis, p. pr. of contingere to touch on all sides, to happen; con- + tangere to touch: cf. F. contingent. See Tangent, Tact.] 1. Possible, or liable, but not certain, to occur; incidental; casual. Weighing so much actual crime against so much contingent advantage. --Burke. 2. Dependent on that which is undetermined or unknown; as, the success of his undertaking is contingent upon events which he can not control. ``Uncertain and contingent causes.'' --Tillotson. 3. (Law) Dependent for effect on something that may or may not occur; as, a contingent estate. If a contingent legacy be left to any one when he attains, or if he attains, the age of twenty-one. --Blackstone.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Contingent Con*tin"gent, n. 1. An event which may or may not happen; that which is unforeseen, undetermined, or dependent on something future; a contingency. His understanding could almost pierce into future contingets. --South. 2. That which falls to one in a division or apportionment among a number; a suitable share; proportion; esp., a quota of troops. From the Alps to the border of Flanders, contingents were required . . . 200,000 men were in arms. --Milman.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(contingents) 1. A contingent of police, soldiers, or military vehicles is a group of them. (FORMAL) There were contingents from the navies of virtually all EU countries. N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N of n 2. A contingent is a group of people representing a country or organization at a meeting or other event. (FORMAL) The strong British contingent suffered mixed fortunes... N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft adj N 3. If something is contingent on something else, the first thing depends on the second in order to happen or exist. (FORMAL) In effect, growth is contingent on improved incomes for the mass of the low-income population. = dependent ADJ: usu ADJ on/upon n/-ing

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Accidental, fortuitous, incidental, casual, happening by chance. 2. Conditional, uncertain, dependent on circumstances. II. n. Quota, proportion, share, proportional part.

Moby Thesaurus

accessory, accident, accidental, addendum, addition, additional, adjunct, adscititious, adventitious, adventure, age group, aleatory, allotment, allowance, appendage, appurtenance, appurtenant, ascititious, at issue, auxiliary, band, based on, battalion, bevy, big end, bigger half, bit, bite, body, boxed in, brigade, brushing, budget, bunch, cabal, cast, casual, casualty, causeless, chance, chance hit, chancy, chunk, circumscribed by, circumstantial, clique, cogitable, cohort, collateral, coming, coming to be, commission, company, complement, component, conceivable, conceivably possible, conditional, conditioned, contacting, contingency, contingent on, corps, coterie, covey, crew, cross section, crowd, cut, deal, dependent, dependent on, depending, depending on, depending on circumstances, destinal, destiny, detachment, detail, dicey, dividend, division, dole, end, equal share, event, eventual, eventuality, eventuation, extra, faction, fatal, fate, fatidic, final, fleet, fluke, fluky, fortuitous, fortuity, fraction, freak accident, gang, glancing, grazing, group, grouping, groupment, half, halver, hap, happening, happenstance, hazard, hedged about by, helping, hinging on, humanly possible, iffy, imaginable, impingent, impinging, in contact, in question, in suspense, in the balance, in-group, incidence, incident to, incidental, incidental to, indeterminate, indirect, inessential, installment, interest, item, junta, last, likely, long odds, long shot, lot, lucky shot, materialization, measure, meed, meeting, mere chance, mess, mob, modicum, moiety, movement, nonessential, not-self, nudging, occasional, odd, open, osculatory, other, out-group, outfit, pack, parcel, part, particular, party, peer group, pendent, pending, percentage, phalanx, piece, platoon, plausible, portion, posse, possible, potential, predicated on, probable, proportion, provisional, quadrant, quantum, quarter, quota, rake-off, random sample, ration, realization, regiment, relative, reliant, remainder, revolving on, risky, rubbing, salon, sample, sampling, secondary, section, sector, segment, set, share, slice, small share, squad, stable, stake, steady, stock, string, subdivision, subgroup, subject to, subsidiary, subspecies, superadded, superaddition, superfluous, supervenient, supplement, supplemental, supplementary, suspenseful, tangent, tangential, team, thinkable, touching, tribe, troop, troupe, turning on, ultimate, unanticipated, uncaused, uncounted, undecided, undetermined, unessential, unestablished, unexpected, unfixed, unforeseeable, unforeseen, unlooked-for, unpredictable, unsettled, untold, up for grabs, wing