contact: Meaning and Definition of

con•tact

Pronunciation: (kon'takt), [key]
— n.
  1. the act or state of touching; a touching or meeting, as of two things or people.
  2. immediate proximity or association.
  3. an acquaintance, colleague, or relative through whom a person can gain access to information, favors, influential people, and the like.
  4. a junction of electric conductors, usually metal, that controls current flow, often completing or interrupting a circuit.
  5. the interface, generally a planar surface, between strata that differ in lithology or age.
  6. a person who has lately been exposed to an infected person.
  7. a condition in which two or more individuals or groups are placed in communication with each other. Cf. categoric contact, primary contact, secondary contact, sympathetic contact.
  8. See
—v.t.
  1. to put or bring into contact.
  2. to communicate with: We'll contact you by mail or telephone.
—v.i.
  1. to enter into or be in contact.
—adj.
  1. involving or produced by touching or proximity: contact allergy.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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