Con vs Contra - What's the difference?
con | contra |
(rare) To study, especially in order to gain knowledge of.
* Wordsworth
* Burke
* 1963 , D'Arcy Niland, Dadda jumped over two elephants: short stories :
(rare, archaic) To know, understand, acknowledge.
* 1579 , , Iune:
to conduct the movements of a ship at sea.
A disadvantage of something, especially when contrasted with its advantages (pros ).
(slang) A fraud; something carried out with the intention of deceiving, usually for personal, often illegal, gain.
(slang) To trick or defraud, usually for personal gain.
(nautical) To give the necessary orders to the helmsman to steer a ship in the required direction through a channel etc. (rather than steer a compass direction)
(nautical) The navigational direction of a ship
As nouns the difference between con and contra
is that con is a disadvantage of something, especially when contrasted with its advantages (pros) while contra is a deal to swap goods or services.As a verb con
is to study, especially in order to gain knowledge of.As a proper noun Con
is a male given name, a diminutive form of Conor or Cornelius.As an initialism CON
is Certificate of Need.As a preposition contra is
against; contrary or opposed to.As an adverb contra is
to the contrary to something.con
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) connen, from (etyl) . More at (l).Verb
(conn)- Fixedly did look / Upon the muddy waters which he conned / As if he had been reading in a book.
- I did not come into Parliament to con my lesson.
- The hawk rested on a crag of the gorge and conned the terrain with a fierce and frowning eye.''
- Of Muses Hobbinol, I conne no skill
Etymology 2
Abbreviation of (etyl) .Noun
(en noun)- pros and cons