Consumption

[Lat. consumptio, from consumo, consumpt us. See CONSUME.] Act of consuming; destruction; di ipation; decline; as, the consumption of food. -State of being consumed; waste; decay; lo . Consumptive, ( kon -sum'tiv,) a. Pertaining to con sumption; destructive; wasteful; exhansting; as, a "consumptive war." - Add is on . (Med.) Affected with, or inclined to, phthisis, or pulmonary consumption; as, a consumptive cough. "By an exact regimen, a consumptive person may hold out for years." Consumptively, adv . In a manner predisposed to consumption. Consumptivene , n. State of being consump- tive, or a tendency thereto. Con's us. ( Myth .) A deity worshipped at Rome, who presided over consuls. Romulus instituted festivals in his honor, called Consualis , during the celebration of which the Romans carried away the Sabine women. Con'tact, n. [Fr., from Lat. contact us , from contingo con , and tango , tact us , to touch.] A touching together; touch; close union or juncture of bodies. (Geom.) When applied to 2 curves, the term C. implies that the latter do not simply intersect, but have two or more consecutive points in common. The number of such consecutive common points determines the order of the C. Thus, two curves which have two consecutive points in common are said to have a two - pointic C., or one of the first order; if they have three consecutive common points, the C. is three - pointic, or of the second order; if four, four - pointic , or of the third order; and so on. In short, the number of consecutive common elements is equal to the order of the C. Thus two curves which simply touch each other, or have a common tangent, have a C. of the first order, both with each other and with that tangent. If they have the same curvature, they have C. of the second order with each other and with the common circle of curvature. When the number of common points is sufficient to determine one of the curves completely, the order of C. is maximum, and the latter C. is said to osculate the former. Thus a circle is determined by three points, so that we can only demand from it a C. of the second order, with any given curve. It is then called the osculating circle , or circle of curvature. A conic being determined by five points may have C. of the 4th order with any curve of higher order than itself. An angle of C. is the angle made by a curve line with its tangent; it is also called angle of contingence, and is equal to the angle of curvature. Contagion, ( kon -ta'jūn) n. [Fr., from Lat. contagio- con , and tango - tago , to touch.] Poisonous emanation or exhalation; infection; pestilence; as, the contagion of a malarious atmosphere. "Will he steal out of his wholesome bed, To dare the vile contagion of the night?"-Shaks. -That which communicates or propagates mischief or evil. "Nor will the goodne of intention excuse the scandal and con . tagion of example." - King Charles I. (Med.) This term ought, properly speaking, to be confined to the communication of disease to a healthy body, by actual contact with the sick, or with the palpable matter from their bodies, and infection to be applied where disease is communicated through the medium of the atmosphere, or by means of other intermediate substances, called fomites . This distinction, however, is frequently lost sight of, and the term C. applied to all cases in which the disease is conveyed to the person of the recipient by particles of matter proceeding from the person of the sick, whether these particles are in a solid or a gaseous form, whether they are imparted by direct contact of the two bodies, or by being wafted through the air, or carried upon articles of clothing. There are two kinds of contagious diseases: 1, those that can only be communicated by direct contact, as itch, syphilis; and, 2, those which are capable of being produced either by direct contact or without it, as small-pox, typhus fever, . Some contagious diseases seem to effect some radical change upon the system, so that it is not again liable to attack from the same disease, as small-pox; and some diseases, that do not generally manifest any contagious disposition, do, occasionally, under unfavorable circumstances, a ume a malignant and contagious form. The term C. is also applied to the poisonous matter by means of which the disease is communicated. In this latter sense, it is a morbific matter, sui generis , which, on entering the blood, produces a definite train of morbid phenomena, and communicates to the blood the property of generating a similar poison, capable of producing precisely the same disease. Contagioned, a. Affected by contagion. Contagionist, n. A believer in the contagious na- ture of certain diseases. Contagious, ( kon - tājūs.) a. Containing or gener ating contagion; poisonous; pestilential; as, contagious miasma. Breathe foul, contagious darkne in the air."-Shaka. -Spreading from one to another, like contagion. "The spirit of imitation is contagious." - Ames. (Med.) Caught or communicated by approach or con- tact; as, a contagious malady. Contagiously, adv . By contagion; after the man ner of contagion; as, rumor spreads contagiously . Contagiousne , n. Quality of being contagious. Contain', v . a. Lat. continco - con, and teneo , to hold; Fr. contenir ; It. contenere. To include within certain limits; to comprehend; to comprise; to embrace. "The earth may of solid good contain More plenty than the sun." - Milton . "The mountains... have not suffered any considerable di To hold; to be able to hold; to inclose; to have caminution or consumption."-Woodward. ( Med . ) See PHTHISIS. Consumptional, a . Same as CONSUMPTIVE, q . v. pacity, or room for; as, a barrel of ale contains 36 galls. "And have my fill Of knowledge what this ve el can contain." Milton . The American Dictionary and Cyclopedia desires in check. IMG:content-0352.png:[blocks in formation] Containable, a . That may be contained or comprised. Container, Contain'ant, n. One who, or anything which, contains. Contain'ment, n. The extent of anything which is comprised or contained. Contam'inable, a. Susceptible of contamination; liable to be contaminated. Contam'inate, v . a. [Lat. contamino, con tamin at us con, and ancient tamino , from tango , tago , to touch.] To spoil, corrupt, pollute, or stain, by mixing or touching; to corrupt the purity or excellence of; to defile; to pollute; to sully; to taint; to infect; to violate. "Shall we now Contaminate our fingers with base bribes?"-Shaks. Contempt, ( kon -temt',) n. [Lat. contempt us , from con- temno. See CONTEMN.] Act of contemning or despising; scorn; disdain; contumely; as, to have a contempt of meanne . "Nothing, says Long in us, can be great, the contempt of which is great." - Add is on. -State of being despised; neglect; shame; disgrace; as, to fall into contempt. "The place was like to come into contempt." - Matt. ( Law .) Disobedience to the rules, orders, or proce of a court of competent authority. C. in court is punish- able by fine or imprisonment; for C. out of court an at- tachment may be granted in some of the States, but in others, as in Pennsylvania, no one is guilty of a C. for any publication made or act done out of court, which is not in violation of the mandates, orders, or rules of the court. - A breach of privilege of either of the Houses of -a. Polluted; sullied; corrupt; defiled. Contamination, n. Act of contaminating or pol- Congre , or State Legislatures, is punishable by that luting: pollution; defilement; taint. Contam'i native, a. Tending to contaminate. Contan'kero us, a . Same as CANTANKEROUS, q. v. Contarini, ( kón -ta-rē'ne,) an illustrious family of Venice, which gave 7 doges to that republic, from 1043 to 1676, and also boasts of many amba adors, cardinals, and men of letters. The most celebrated is Gasparo C., papal legate to the Diet of Ratisbon, and a philosophical writer, B. 1483, D. 1542. Con'tas, in Brazil. See RIO-DE-CONTAS. Contemn, (kon-tem',) v. a. [Lat.contemno -con , and temno , to slight, to scorn, to despise; probably allied to temero, to treat rashly, from temere , rashly; It. contemn are.] To consider and treat as mean and despicable; to reject with disdain; to despise; to scorn; to disdain; to spurn; to neglect; to underrate; to overlook. "Yet better thus, and known to be contemned, Than still contemned and flattered." - Shaks.