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Abut vs Contact - What's the difference?

abut | contact |

In transitive terms the difference between abut and contact

is that abut is to border upon; be next to; abut on; be adjacent to; to support by an abutment while contact is to establish communication with something or someone.

As verbs the difference between abut and contact

is that abut is to touch by means of a mutual border, edge or end; to border on; to lie adjacent; to project; to terminate; to be contiguous; to meet, of an estate, country, etc while contact is to touch; to come into physical contact with.

As a noun contact is

the act of touching physically; being in close association.

abut

English

Alternative forms

* abutt

Verb

(abutt)
  • To touch by means of a mutual border, edge or end; to border on; to lie adjacent; to project; to terminate; to be contiguous; to meet, of an estate, country, etc.
    • It was a time when Germany still abutted upon Russia.
    His land abuts on the road.
  • To lean against on one end; to end on, of a part of a building or wall.
  • To border upon; be next to; abut on; be adjacent to; to support by an abutment.

    • Usage notes

    * (estate or country) Followed by any of the following words: upon', '''on''' or (obsolete) ' to . * (building) Followed by any of the following words: upon', '''on''', or ' against .

    References

    Anagrams

    * * ----

    contact

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act of touching physically; being in close association.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1935, author= George Goodchild
    • , title=Death on the Centre Court, chapter=1 , passage=She mixed furniture with the same fatal profligacy as she mixed drinks, and this outrageous contact between things which were intended by Nature to be kept poles apart gave her an inexpressible thrill.}}
  • The establishment of communication (with).
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=In the old days, […], he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned. But he had then none of the oddities and mannerisms which I hold to be inseparable from genius, and which struck my attention in after days when I came in contact with the Celebrity.}}
  • A nodule designed to connect a device with something else.
  • Someone with whom one is in communication.
  • (label) A contact lens.
  • (label) A device designed for repetitive connections.
  • Contact juggling.
  • (mining) The plane between two adjacent bodies of dissimilar rock.
    • (Raymond)

    Derived terms

    * body contact * contact hitter * contactable * eye contact * first contact * golden contact * point of contact / POC

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To touch; to come into physical contact with.
    • The side of the car contacted the pedestrian.
  • To establish communication with something or someone
    • I am trying to contact my sister.