Contest

How to spell contest

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce contest

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does contest mean?

1. nounA competition or event in which people compete to win.
2. verbTo formally dispute, challenge, or compete for something.

Contest in a sentence

• noun

  The baking contest attracted entrants from across the county.

• verb

  The family plans to contest the terms of the will in court.

• noun

  Local schools entered the regional spelling contest this spring.

• verb

  Two strong candidates will contest the parliamentary seat.

Where does contest come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Contest came into English in the early 1600s from the French contester, which in turn descended from the Latin contestari. The Latin verb literally meant 'to call to witness' or 'to bring an action by calling witnesses', built from con- 'together' and testari 'to bear witness', itself from testis, a witness. The earliest English sense was the legal one of disputing or contending over something, since a courtroom was where witnesses were summoned to support a claim. From the idea of two sides struggling to make their case, the meaning broadened into any competition or trial of strength, giving us the modern noun for a competition. The same testis root sits behind the everyday words 'testify', 'testimony' and 'protest', which is a useful reminder that the middle of the word is spelled t-e-s-t.

How the word is built

• con- (with, together)
• test (from Latin testari, to bear witness)