contraho

con-trăho, xi, ctum, 3, v. a., to draw or bring several objects together, to collect, assemble (freq. and class.).

I.

In gen.

A.

Lit. (syn. colligo;

opp. dissipo): quae in rerum naturā constarent quaeque moverentur, ea contrahere amicitiam, dissipare discordiam,

Cic. Lael. 7, 24:

cohortes ex finitimis regionibus,

Caes. B. C. 1, 15:

exercitum in unum locum,

id. B. G. 1, 34; cf.:

omnes copias Luceriam,

Cic. Att. 8, 1, 2; and:

omnia in unum locum,

id. ib. 8, 11, B, 3:

omnes copias eo,

Nep. Ages. 3, 1:

navibus circiter LXXX. coactis, contractisque,

Caes. B. G. 4, 22; cf.:

magnam classem,

Nep. Con. 4, 4:

naves,

Suet. Calig. 19:

agrestes,

Ov. F. 4, 811:

captivos,

Liv. 37, 44, 3:

utrumque ad colloquium,

id. 28, 18, 2:

undique libros,

Suet. Aug. 31; cf.

exemplaria,

id. Gram. 24:

muscas in manu,

Plin. 12, 25, 54, § 122; cf.

serpentes,

id. 28, 9, 42, § 151: ii, qui in idem (collegium) contracti fuerint, Traj. ap. Plin. Ep. 10, 34 (43), 1—

B.

Trop.

1.

To bring about, carry into effect, accomplish, execute, get, contract, occasion, cause, produce, make, etc. (very freq.):

amicitiam,

Cic. Lael. 14, 48:

vinculum amicitiae,

Val. Max. 4, 7 init.:

aliquid litigii,

Plaut. Cas. 3, 2, 31; cf.

lites,

id. Capt. prol. 63: qui hoc [p. 458] mihi contraxit, id. Cas. 3, 2, 21; cf.:

negotium mihi,

Cic. Cat. 4, 5, 9; and:

numinis iram mihi (arte),

Ov. M. 2, 660:

bellum Saguntinis,

Liv. 24, 42, 11:

aliquid damni,

Cic. Fin. 5, 30, 91:

molestias,

id. Fam. 2, 16, 5; cf. Sall. H. 2, 41, 8 Dietsch:

aes alienum,

Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 8, § 25:

causam certaminis,

Liv. 22, 28, 4; cf.

certamen,

id. 23, 26, 11; 25, 34, 10 al.:

necessitates ad bellum,

id. 44, 27, 12:

culpam,

to incur, Cic. Att. 11, 24, 1 al.:

cruditatem,

Quint. 7, 3, 38; cf. id. 2, 10, 6:

morbum,

Plin. 30, 8, 21, § 65:

pestilentiam,

id. 36, 27, 69, § 202:

saginam corporis,

Just. 21, 2:

causam valetudinis ex profluvio alvi,

Suet. Aug. 97 fin. et saep.: porca contracta, owed, due, sc. for the expiation of a crime, Cic. Leg. 2, 22, 57 fin. —

2.

In the lang. of business, t. t., to make a contract, conclude a bargain, to contract:

rationem, rem cum illo,

Cic. Clu. 14, 41; cf. id. Off. 1, 17, 53; id. Sull. 20, 56; id. Att. 7, 7, 7:

in tribuendo suum cuique et rerum contractarum fide,

id. Off. 1, 5, 14:

ex rebus contrahendis,

id. ib. 3, 15, 61:

in contrahendis negotiis,

id. ib. 2, 11, 40:

adfinitas inter Caesarem et Pompeium contracta nuptiis,

Vell. 2, 44, 3 et saep.—

b.

Transf. beyond the sphere of business:

cum aliquo,

to have intercourse with, to associate with, Cic. Off. 1, 2, 4:

nihil cum populo,

id. Tusc. 5, 36, 105.—

II.

In partic., with the prevailing idea of shortening or diminishing by drawing together (cf.: cogo, colligo, etc.), to draw close or together, to draw in, contract, shorten, narrow, lessen, abridge, diminish (freq. and class.; opp. porrigo, dilato, tendo).

A.

Lit.:

animal omne membra quocumque volt flectit, contorquet, porrigit, contrahit,

Cic. Div. 1, 53, 120:

pulmones tum se contrahunt adspirantes, tum intrante spiritu dilatant,

id. N. D. 2, 55, 136:

contractum aliquo morbo bovis cor,

id. Div. 2, 16, 37; cf.:

se millepeda tactu,

Plin. 29, 6, 39, § 136:

bina cornua (opp. protendere),

id. 9, 32, 51, § 101: collum. Cic. Tusc. 2, 17, 41;

opp. tendere,

Quint. 11, 3, 82:

frontem,

to wrinkle, contract, Cic. Clu. 26, 72; Hor. S. 2, 2, 125:

supercilia (opp. deducere),

Quint. 11, 3, 79:

medium digitum in pollicem,

id. 11, 3, 92; cf.:

contractum genibus tangas caput,

Hor. S. 2, 7, 61:

gravissimo frigore solus atque contractus vigilabit in lectulo,

Hier. Ep. 53:

castra,

Caes. B. G. 7, 40:

vela,

Hor. C. 2, 10, 23; Quint. 12, prooem. § 4; cf. Cic. Att. 1, 16, 2:

orbem (lunae),

Ov. M. 15, 198:

umbras,

id. ib. 3, 144:

orationem (with summittere),

Quint. 11, 1, 45; cf. id. 12, 11, 16:

tempora dicendi,

id. 6, 5, 4 et saep.:

lac,

to curdle, coagulate, Plin. 23, 7, 63, § 117.—Of bees:

contracto frigore pigrae ( = contractae frigore pigro),

Verg. G. 4, 259; cf.:

pigrum est enim contractumque frigus,

Sen. Ira, 2, 19, 2:

horrida tempestas contraxit caelum,

narrows, Hor. Epod. 13, 1:

vulnera,

Plin. 24, 8, 33, § 48; cf.

cicatrices,

id. 12, 17, 38, § 77:

ventrem,

to stop, check, Cels. 4, 19; cf.

alvum,

id. ib.:

vomitiones,

Plin. 20, 2, 6, § 11.—

2.

Esp., archit. t. t., to narrow, make smaller or tapering:

columnam,

Vitr. 4, 3, 4; cf. id. 3, 3, 12; 4, 7, 2:

pyramis XXIV. gradibus in metae cacumen se contrahens,

Plin. 36, 5, 4, § 31.—

B.

Trop., to draw in, lessen, check, restrain ( = certis limitibus quasi coartare et circumscribere;

opp. remittere, diffundere): cui non animus formidine divum contrahitur?

Lucr. 5, 1219; cf.:

te rogo, ne contrahas ac demittas animum,

do not suffer your spirits to droop, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 1, § 4; and:

animos varietas sonorum (opp. remittere),

id. Leg. 2, 15, 38: terram quasi tristitiā (sol;

opp. laetificas),

id. N. D. 2, 40, 102:

ut et bonis amici quasi diffundantur et incommodis contrahantur,

are made sad, id. Lael. 13, 48 (cf. id. Tusc. 4, 6, 14):

ex quibus intellegitur, appetitus omnes contrahendos sedandosque,

id. Off. 1, 29, 103; cf.

cupidmem,

Hor. C. 3, 16, 39 et saep. —Hence, contractus, a, um, P. a. (acc. to II.), drawn together into a narrow space, i. e. compressed, contracted, close, short, narrow, abridged, restricted, limited, etc.

A.

Lit.:

tanto contractioribus ultimis digitis,

Quint. 11, 3, 95:

nares contractiores habent introitus,

Cic. N. D. 2, 57, 145:

contractior ignis,

smaller, Lucr. 5, 569:

aequora,

Hor. C. 3, 1, 33; cf.

freta,

Ov. F. 6, 495:

locus (with exiguus),

Verg. G. 4, 295:

Nilus contractior et exilior,

Plin. Pan. 30, 3: contractiora spatia ordinum, Col. 5, 5, 3.—

B.

Trop.

1.

Of language, etc.:

et brevis ambitus verborum,

Cic. Brut. 44, 162; cf.:

contractior oratio,

id. ib. 31, 120:

propositum dicendi (opp. uberius),

Quint. 11, 1, 32:

summissā atque contractā voce (opp. erectā et concitatā),

id. 11, 3, 175; so,

vox,

id. 11, 3, 64: parvum opusculum lucubratum his jam contractioribus noctibus, Cic. Par. prooem. § 5.—

2.

In gen.:

quae studia in his jam aetatibus nostris contractiora esse debent,

Cic. Cael. 31, 76:

paupertas,

stinted, Hor. Ep. 1, 5, 20 (cf.:

angusta pauperies,

id. C. 3, 2, 1 );

in the same sense transf. to the person: ad mare descendet vates tuus et sibi parcet Contractusque leget,

retired, solitary, id. ib. 1, 7, 12; cf.

homo,

Verg. M. 78.— Adv.: contractē, on a contracted scale; only in comp.:

assuescamus. servis paucioribus serviri, habitare contractius,

Sen. Tranq. 9, 3; Lact. 2, 8, 39 al.