Meanings
plural contraptions
- A machine that is complicated and precarious.
- derogatoryfigurativelyironicAny object.
1 more example
“Yes, sir, if that was the language of love, I'll eat my hat,” said the blood relation, alluding, I took it, to the beastly straw contraption in which she does her gardening, concerning which I can only say that it is almost as foul as Uncle Tom's Sherlock Holmes deerstalker, which has frightened more crows than any other lid in Worcestershire.
1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XII, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
mechanical device
nouna device or control that is very useful for a particular job
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Possibly a Western US English dialectal word of unknown origin. First attested in the early 19th century. Perhaps from contrive + trap + -tion, while also possibly approximating construction. Chambers suggests contrivance + adaption. Neither Chambers nor Concise Oxford suggests a US origin. Compare cantrip, cantrap (Scots dialect), a wilful piece of trickery.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κατασκεύασμα
- κατασκεύασμα (kataskeúasma)complicated and precarious machine
Catalan artefacte
- artefactecomplicated and precarious machine
Chinese Mandarin 複雜且不可靠的機器] /复杂且不可靠的机器] (no equivalent exists, 東西 /东西
- 複雜且不可靠的機器] /复杂且不可靠的机器] (no equivalent exists (fùzá qiě bù kěkào de jīqì)complicated and precarious machine
- 東西 /东西 (dōngxi)object referred to with irony, derision or contempt
- 玩意兒 /玩意儿 (wányìr)object referred to with irony, derision or contempt
Dutch apparaat, machientje
- apparaatcomplicated and precarious machine
- machientjeobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
Finnish vekotin, vempain
- vekotincomplicated and precarious machine
- vempaincomplicated and precarious machine
- vehjecomplicated and precarious machine
- hilavitkutincomplicated and precarious machine
- härveliobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
- rakkineobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
French machin, bidule
- machincomplicated and precarious machine
- bidulecomplicated and precarious machine
- engincomplicated and precarious machine
German neumodischer Apparat, irres Gerät
- neumodischer Apparatcomplicated and precarious machine
- irres Gerätcomplicated and precarious machine
- seltsame Vorrichtungcomplicated and precarious machine
- Erfindungcomplicated and precarious machine
- Dingobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
- Objektobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
- Gerätobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
- Machwerkobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
Hindi यंत्र, यन्त्र
- यंत्र (yantra)complicated and precarious machine
- यन्त्र (yantra)complicated and precarious machine
- जन्तर (jantar)complicated and precarious machine
Hungarian szerkezet, szerkentyű
- szerkezetcomplicated and precarious machine
- szerkentyűobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
Italian aggeggio, congegno
- aggeggiocomplicated and precarious machine
- congegnocomplicated and precarious machine
- marchingegnocomplicated and precarious machine
- trabiccoloobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
- ferro vecchioobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
- catorcioobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
- cosoobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
- diavoleriaobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
Māori autaia
- autaiacomplicated and precarious machine
Polish ustrojstwo
- ustrojstwocomplicated and precarious machine
Portuguese engenhoca, geringonça
- engenhocacomplicated and precarious machine
- geringonçacomplicated and precarious machine
- geringonçaobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
Russian приспособле́ние, устро́йство
- приспособле́ние (prisposoblénije)complicated and precarious machine
- устро́йство (ustrójstvo)complicated and precarious machine
- штуко́вина (štukóvina)object referred to with irony, derision or contempt
- шту́чка (štúčka)object referred to with irony, derision or contempt
- ерунда́ (jerundá)object referred to with irony, derision or contempt
- ерундо́вина (jerundóvina)object referred to with irony, derision or contempt
- хрено́вина (xrenóvina)object referred to with irony, derision or contempt
- фигня́ (fignjá)object referred to with irony, derision or contempt
Spanish artilugio, invento
- artilugiocomplicated and precarious machine
- inventocomplicated and precarious machine
- armatostecomplicated and precarious machine
- mamotretocomplicated and precarious machine
- armatrostecomplicated and precarious machine
- almatrostecomplicated and precarious machine
- armatosteobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
Swedish manick
- manickcomplicated and precarious machine
Turkish zımbırtı, zımbırtı
- zımbırtıcomplicated and precarious machine
- zımbırtıobject referred to with irony, derision or contempt
Cite this entry
contraption. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contraption
“contraption.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contraption. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “contraption,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contraption.
Source: contraption on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.