Contracted

ppl. a. [f. CONTRACT v. + -ED¹.]

  1.  Agreed upon, established by contract. ? Obs.

1589.  Greene, Arcadia (Arb.), 30. Our olde contracted amitie.

1593.  Shaks., 2 Hen. VI., I. i. 40. Heere are the Articles of contracted peace.

  † 2.  Betrothed, affianced. Obs.

1548.  Hall, Chron., 197. Her new contracted husband.

1596.  Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., IV. ii. 17. I … enquire me out contracted Batchelers, such as had beene ask’d twice on the Banes.

1611.  Cotgr., Ousclage, that which a contracted man giues to his affianced or future wife.

1624.  Heywood, Gunaik., III. 145. A gentleman of a noble familie riding … with his contracted Lady in a chariot.

  3.  Incurred, acquired; see CONTRACT v. 5.

1640–4.  in Rushw., Hist. Coll. (1692), III. I. 18. Their long Contracted Honour in their Blood.

1665.  Glanvill, Sceps. Sci., i. 4. A self-contracted wretchedness.

  † 4.  Drawn together, collected; combined, united.

1609.  Tourneur, Fun. Poeme, 9. Which with contracted cloudes did interpose. Ibid. (1611), Ath. Trag., I. ii. That we should breathe but one contracted life.

  5.  Drawn into smaller compass; narrowed, shortened, shrunken, etc.; see CONTRACT v. 8, 9.

1603.  Dekker, Grissil (Shaks. Soc.), 3. We … do not throw On these, your pastimes, a contracted brow.

1697.  Dryden, Virg. Georg., III. 729. When the contracted Limbs were cramp’d.

1786.  W. Gilpin, Observ. Pict. Beauty, I. 112. Narrow contracted vallies.

1812.  Examiner, 7 Dec., 782/2. The eldest has a contracted arm.

1883.  G. Lloyd, Ebb & Flow, II. 274. He sat in a somewhat contracted position.

  b.  fig. Condensed, concise.

1595.  W. C[larke], Polimanteia, R ij b. Daniell, whose sweete refined muse, in contracted shape, were sufficient amongst men, etc.

1646.  Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., 274. There was a … contracted Adam in the rib, which by the information of a soule, was individuated into Eve.

1654.  R. Whitlock, Ζωοτομια, 150. How do Solomons Proverbs (for contracted sense) mist Seneca?

1704.  Hearne, Duct. Hist. (1714), I. 134. There is a strange Felicity in his Style … he is Contracted and Fluent, Subtle and Clear.

1818.  Jas. Mill, Brit. India, III. i. 26. A very contracted summary of the voluminous records.

  c.  fig. Limited in extent, narrow, restricted; † having narrow sympathies, views, etc. (obs.).

1710.  Shaftesb., Charac. (1737), III. 304. The contracted Genius … the Narrowness of such a Mind.

1765.  T. Hutchinson, Hist. Col. Mass., I. i. 151. He was of a more catholic spirit … but … grew more contracted.

1796.  Jane Austen, Pride & Prej., ix. (1813), 209. They were obliged to give up the Lakes and substitute a more contracted tour.

1830.  D’Israeli, Chas. I., III. ii. 19. The horizon of a Court is but a contracted sphere.

1862.  Ld. Brougham, Brit. Const., iv. 57. The attendant evils of petty, contracted ideas.

  d.  Gram. and Phonetics. Shortened by combination or omission of sounds or letters.

1824.  L. Murray, Eng. Gram. (ed. 5), I. 174. This change is nothing more than a contracted preposition prefixed.

1871.  Roby, Lat. Gram., II. xxii. § 662. Apparently irritāt, disturbāt, are used as contracted perfects in Lucretius.