This word confusion contest versus context can indeed be a contest in understanding context.
At its simplest, contest is a competition, where people submit entries, which are then judged, and then have a winner picked.
The context is the information, circumstances, environment, background or settings surrounding something that determine, specify, or clarify the meaning of an event or other occurrence.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Contest | Context |
|---|---|
Belly Flop Contest by Thank You (22.5 Millions+) views is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr. — Ouch! |
Context Conditions Life is Integrator321‘s own work and is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Putting real life into context between fact and fiction. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive
Plural for the noun and third person present verb: contests |
Noun
Plural: contexts |
| Noun: An event in which people compete for supremacy in a sport, activity, or particular quality
Verb, intransitive:
Verb, transitive:
Oppose (an action, decision, or theory) as mistaken or wrong
To contend for in rivalry |
The circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed
[Mycology] The fleshy fibrous body of the pileus in mushrooms |
| Examples: | |
| Noun: She entered a beauty contest. They’re having a gigantic air rifle shooting contest. The 2024 presidential contest should be interesting. There has always been a contest between tenants and landlords over how they share both benefits and costs. He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor counts. Verb, intransitive: “But a number of changes may make proxy proposals more contested this year than usual” (Gandel). The downstream impact of the dam is hotly contested” (Ethiopia). He contested with other bidders for the antique. Verb, transitive: A coalition was formed to contest the presidential elections. The former chairman contests his dismissal. The issues have been hotly contested. They continue to contest a ridiculous question. The family has contested the will. They contested his right to speak. |
The decision was taken within the context of planned cuts in spending.
Word processing is affected by the context in which words appear. The media likes to take things out of context. It is difficult now to view these masterpieces in context. His aides have long insisted that his comments were taken out of context. “The pancitas are mainly the bolets in the genus Boletus, formerly edulis group, characterized by a hymenium with initially white and then yellow to olive-green pores, without change of color to the cut, reticulated stipe, white context, and pleasant flavor” (Ponce). |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: contestable Adverb: contestably, contestingly Noun: contestability, contestableness, contestant, contestation, contester |
Adjective: contextless, contextual Adverb: contextually Noun: contextualisation [British], contextualist, contextualization Verb, transitive: contextualise [British], contextualism, contextualist, contextualize, contexture |
| History of the Word: | |
| Late 16th century, as a verb in the sense swear to, attest, from the Latin contestari meaning call upon to witness, initiate (by calling witnesses), from con- (together) + testare (to witness).
In the early 17th century, the senses wrangle, struggle for arose, whence the current noun and verb senses. |
Late Middle English (denoting the construction of a text), is from the Latin contextus, from con- (together) + texere (to weave). |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Contest versus Context
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: contest, context
“Ethiopia Dam will Turn Lake Turkana into ‘Endless Battlefield’, Locals Warn.” 13 Jan 2015. Web. 24 Aug 2022. <https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jan/13/ethiopia-gibe-iii-dam-kenya>.
Gandel, Stephen. “Nuns vs. Bankers: The Shareholder Proxy Wars.” 21 Apr 2010. Web. 24 Aug 2022. <http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1981861,00.html>.
Ponce, J. P. Mérida, M. A. Hernández Calderón, O. Comandini, A. C. Rinaldi and R. Flores Arzú. “Ethnomycological Knowledge Among Kaqchikel, Indigenous Maya People of Guatemalan Highlands.” Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 15, 36. <https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-019-0310-7>. 17 July 2019. Web. 24 Aug 2022. <URL>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Air Guitar Contest — Hamburg Metal DayzAir Guitar Contest — Hamburg Metal Dayz, 26 September 2015, by Frank Schwichtenberg is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
