Link Centre Dictionary

contingent

con·tin·gent

UK/kənˈtɪn.d͡ʒənt/ US/kʌˈntɪndʒʌnt/ uncommon
noun (2) adjective (3)

noun

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 peace-keeping force includes one British contingent”
Synonyms

adjective

1.

possible but not certain to occur

  • “they had to plan for contingent expenses”
Similar
2.

determined by conditions or circumstances not yet established

  • “arms sales contingent on the approval of congress”
Synonyms
Similar
3.

uncertain because of uncontrollable circumstances

  • “the results of confession were not contingent, they were certain” George Eliot
Similar

Origin

From Middle English, from Old French contingent (whence con- and -ent), from Medieval Latin contingens (“possible, contingent”), present participle of contingere (“to touch, meet, attain to, happen”), from com- (“together”) + tangere (“to touch”).

Phrases

  • contingent charge
  • contingent claim
  • contingent remainder
  • contingent symbiosis
  • contingent valuation

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.