Contrarre

Contrarre is an Italian verb meaning to contract or to draw together. It derives from the Latin contrahere, meaning “to pull together” or “to bring inward.” In contemporary Italian, the verb is used in several related senses tied to acquiring or developing something.

The most common usage is to describe coming to have or catch something, especially diseases and infections: contrarre una malattia (to contract a disease). It is also used to indicate incurring or taking on obligations, debts, or liabilities: contrarre debiti (to incur debts), contrarre obblighi (to incur obligations). In some contexts, it can refer to obtaining or securing something as a result of effort or exposure.

Grammatical notes: the infinitive is contrarre. The past participle is contratto and is used with avere (ho contratto una malattia, she ha contratto un debito). The verb has irregularities in certain tenses and forms, particularly in the present indicative and other compound tenses, so users typically consult a conjugation resource for exact forms. The noun contratto is related and means “contract,” while contrazione refers to the act of contracting in general, such as a contraction or a narrowing of something.

See also: contratto, contrazione.