contre

See also: contré and contre-

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French contre, from Old French contre, from Latin contra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃tʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Preposition

contre

1. against (in physical contact with)

   La paille est contre la maison

   the straw is against the house

   Elle s’appuie contre le mur.

   She's pushing against the wall.

2. against (not in favor of)

   Les citoyens sont pour, mais les hommes politiques sont contre.

   The citizens are for, but the politicians are against.

3. against (having as an opponent)

   Ce soir: Lille contre Marseille en direct.

   Tonight: Lille against Marseille live.

4. as against (as opposed to, compared to, in contrast with)

   10% des hommes ont eu plus de cent partenaires sexuels, contre 5% seulement des femmes.

   10 percent of all men have had more than a hundred sexual partners, as opposed to 5 percent of all women.

5. in exchange for

   On peut échanger ces billets contre un repas gratuit.

   These tickets can be exchanged for a free meal.

Derived terms

• à contre-courant
• à contre-mont
• contre nature
• contre toute attente
• contre vents et marées
• contrer
• envers et contre tous
• par contre
• peser le pour et le contre
• un contre un

Verb

contre

1. inflection of contrer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Noun

contre m (plural contres)

1. (bridge) double

Descendants

• ⇒ Italian: contrare

Further reading

• “contre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• conter
• cornet

Middle English

Alternative forms

• conntre, contereie, contray, contraye, contree, contreie, contrey, contreye, cuntre, cuntrei
• cointre, cuntray (Late Middle English)
• contreth, countreth (probably due to confusion of <þ> and <y>; though compare Old French contrede)

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French contree, from Vulgar Latin (terra) contrāta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kuntˈreː(ə)/, /kuntˈræi̯(ə)/, /ˈkuntreː/

Noun

contre (plural contrees)

1. A region, domain, or area.
2. A political subdivision:
   1. On a national level: country or nation.
   2. On a regional level: a district or province.
   3. On a local level: a town or parish.
3. One's mother country; one's homeland.
4. The countryside (as opposed to the city)
5. The people of a region; the local people.

Descendants

• English: country (see there for further descendants)
• Middle Scots: countre, cuntre, cuntrie
  • Scots: kintra

References

• “cǒntrẹ̄(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-10.

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French contre.

Preposition

contre

1. against; opposing

Descendants

• French: contre

Old French

Alternative forms

• cuntre (Northern, Anglo-Norman or early Old French)
• countre (late Anglo-Norman)

Etymology

From Latin contra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkuntɾə/

Preposition

contre

1. against

Adverb

contre

1. against

Descendants

• Middle French: contre
  • French: contre

Anagrams

• conter