contactul

Contactul, in Romanian, is the definite form of the noun contact and denotes the act or state of touching two bodies or of establishing a connection between people, places, or devices. In everyday language, it can refer to physical contact (contactul fizic) or social contact (contactul social). The expression datele de contact or datele de contact provides contact information such as a phone number, address, or email.

The term derives from the French contact (via Latin) and follows Romanian word formation with the definite article suffix -ul. It is used across many domains with slightly different meanings: in physics and engineering, contact describes the interface through which forces, energy, or signals pass; in electrical engineering, an electrical contact is a conductance interface that can carry current, with topics such as contact resistance and wear. In epidemiology, persoană-contact denotes a person who has been in contact with an infectious case, a category used in contact tracing.

In everyday use, a păstra contactul means to stay in touch; a intra în contact cu means to come into contact with someone or something, often to initiate communication or collaboration. The noun appears in many compounds and phrases, reflecting its broad utility in describing relationships, interactions, and information exchange. Because of its general meaning, the term is common in both official and informal Romanian.