contenir

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word contenir. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word contenir, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say contenir in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word contenir you have here. The definition of the word contenir will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofcontenir, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

Catalan

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin continēre; adapted to inherited tenir.

Pronunciation

Verb

contenir (first-person singular present continc, first-person singular preterite continguí, past participle contingut); root stress: (Central, Valencia, Balearic) /e/

  1. to contain

Conjugation

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French contenir, borrowed from Latin continēre.

Pronunciation

Verb

contenir

  1. (transitive) to contain
  2. (transitive) to contain, to hold back, to keep in check (to control)
    contenir ses émotionsto contain one's emotions
  3. (transitive) to hold, to take, to seat (to have a capacity of)
    Cette salle peut contenir deux cent personnes.This room can hold 200 people.
  4. (reflexive)

Conjugation

This is a verb in a group of -ir verbs. All verbs ending in -tenir, such as retenir and détenir, are conjugated this way. Such verbs are the only verbs whose the past historic and subjunctive imperfect endings do not start in one of these thematic vowels (-a-, -i-, -u-).

Derived terms

Further reading

Old French

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin continēre.

Verb

contenir

  1. (reflexive, se contenir) to control oneself, to keep one's feelings and behavior in check
  2. (reflexive, se contenir) to behave (in a given way)

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a third-group verb. This verb has a stressed present stem contien distinct from the unstressed stem conten, as well as other irregularities. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

Descendants

  • English: contain
  • French: contenir
  • Norman: cont'nîn