different between contentious vs contention

English

Etymology

From Middle French contentieux, from Latin contenti?sus (“quarrelsome, perverse”), from contenti? (“contention”), from contendere, past participle contentus (“to contend”); see contend.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /k?n?t?n.??s/

Adjective

contentious (comparative more contentious, superlative most contentious)

1. Marked by heated arguments or controversy.
2. Given to struggling with others out of jealousy or discord.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:quarrelsome
• See also Thesaurus:combative

Derived terms

• contentiously
• contentiousness
• uncontentious

Related terms

• contend
• contender
• contention

Translations

References

• contentious in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• contentious in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

English

Etymology

From Middle English contencion, borrowed from Old French contencion, from Latin contentio, contentionem, from contend? (past participle contentus); see contend.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?n?t?n??n/
• Hyphenation: con?ten?tion

Noun

contention (countable and uncountable, plural contentions)

1. Argument, contest, debate, strife, struggle.
2. A point maintained in an argument, or a line of argument taken in its support; the subject matter of discussion of strife; a position taken or contended for.

   It is my contention that state lotteries are taxes on stupid people.

3. (computing, telecommunications) Competition by parts of a system or its users for a limited resource.

Synonyms

• gainstrife, gainstriving, wrangling

Hyponyms

• (computing) resource contention

Derived terms

• bone of contention
• contention system
• in contention
• resource contention

Related terms

Translations

References

• contention on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Further reading

• contention in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• contention in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin contentio, contentionem. Cf. the inherited form contençon, and see also tençon.

Noun

contention f (oblique plural contentions, nominative singular contention, nominative plural contentions)

1. dispute; quarrel; disagreement

Related terms

• contendre
• contençon
• tençon

Descendants

• English: contention
• French: contention