contraption
English · Thesaurus
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contraption
- /kənˈtɹæp.ʃən/ UK, US
Where it comes from
Possibly a Western US English dialectal word of unknown origin. First attested in the early 19th century. Perhaps from contrive + trap + -tion, while also possibly approximating construction. Chambers suggests contrivance + adaption. Neither Chambers nor Concise Oxford suggests a US origin. Compare cantrip, cantrap (Scots dialect), a wilful piece of trickery.
noun contraptions
- A machine that is complicated and precarious.
- Any object. “Yes, sir, if that was the language of love, I'll eat my hat,” said the blood relation, alluding, I took it, to the beastly straw contraption in which she does her gardening, concerning which I can only say that it is almost as foul as Uncle Tom's Sherlock Holmes deerstalker, which has frightened mo
Similar: contrivance, device, fandango, gadget, mechanism, construction
Thesaurus
noun
Similar: contrivance, device, fandango, gadget, mechanism, construction
Translations
Every language
noun complicated and precarious machine
| Español | artilugio, invento, armatoste, mamotreto, armatroste, almatroste |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 複雜且不可靠的機器] /复杂且不可靠的机器] (no equivalent exists fùzá qiě bù kěkào de jīqì |
| हिन्दी | यंत्र yantra, यन्त्र yantra, जन्तर jantar |
| Português | engenhoca, geringonça |
| Français | machin, bidule, engin |
| Deutsch | neumodischer Apparat, irres Gerät, seltsame Vorrichtung, Erfindung |
| Italiano | aggeggio, congegno, marchingegno |
| Русский | приспособле́ние prisposoblénije, устро́йство ustrójstvo |
noun object referred to with irony, derision or contempt
| Español | armatoste |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 東西 /东西 dōngxi, 玩意兒 /玩意儿 wányìr |
| Português | geringonça |
| Deutsch | Ding, Objekt, Gerät, Machwerk |
| Italiano | trabiccolo, ferro vecchio, catorcio, coso, diavoleria |
| Русский | штуко́вина štukóvina, шту́чка štúčka, ерунда́ jerundá, ерундо́вина jerundóvina, хрено́вина xrenóvina, фигня́ fignjá |
Talk about this word "contraption." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/contraption. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. contraption. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/contraption "contraption." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/contraption.Cite this
@misc{contraption_2026,
title = {contraption},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/contraption},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
