contribution

contribution
    n 1: the part played by a person in bringing about a result; "I
         am proud of my contribution in advancing the project";
         "they all did their share of the work" [syn:
         {contribution}, {part}, {share}]
    2: a voluntary gift (as of money or service or ideas) made to
       some worthwhile cause [syn: {contribution}, {donation}]
    3: act of giving in common with others for a common purpose
       especially to a charity [syn: {contribution}, {donation}]
    4: an amount of money contributed; "he expected his contribution
       to be repaid with interest"
    5: a writing for publication especially one of a collection of
       writings as an article or story
    

Contribution \Con`tri*bu"tion\, n. [L. contributio: cf. F.
   contribution.]
   1. The act of contributing.
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   2. That which is contributed; -- either the portion which an
      individual furnishes to the common stock, or the whole
      which is formed by the gifts of individuals.
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            A certain contribution for the poor saints which are
            at jerusalem.                         --Rom. xv. 26.
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            Aristotle's actual contributions to the physical
            sciences.                             --Whewell.
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   3. (Mil.) An irregular and arbitrary imposition or tax leved
      on the people of a town or country.
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            These sums, . . . and the forced contributions paid
            by luckless peasants, enabled him to keep his
            straggling troops together.           --Motley.
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   4. (Law) Payment, by each of several jointly liable, of a
      share in a loss suffered or an amount paid by one of their
      number for the common benefit.
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CONTRIBUTION, civil law. A partition by which the creditors of an insolvent 
debtor divide, among themselves the proceeds of his property, proportionably 
to the amount of their respective credits. Civ. Code of Lo. art. 2522, n. 
10. It is a division pro rata. Merl. Rep. h.t. 
    

CONTRIBUTION, contracts. When two or more persons jointly owe a debt, and 
one is compelled to pay the whole of it, the others are bound to indemnify 
him for the payment of their shares; this indemnity is called a 
contribution. 1 Bibb. R. 562; 4 John. Ch. R. 545; 4 Bouv. Inst. n. 3935-6. 
     2. The subject will be considered by taking a view, 1. Of right of the 
creditors where there are several debtors. 2. Of the right of the debtor who 
pays the whole debt. 3. Of the liabilities of the debtors who are liable to 
contribution. 4. Of the liability of land owned by several owners, when it 
is subject to a charge. 5. Of the liability of owners of goods in a vessel, 
when part is thrown overboard to save the rest. 
     3.-1. The creditor of several debtors, jointly bound to him, has a 
right to compel the payment by any he may choose; but he cannot sue them 
severally, unless they are severally bound. 
     4.-2. When one of several debtors pays a debt, the creditor is bound 
in conscience, if not by contract, to give to the party paying the debt all 
his remedies against the other debtors. 1 Cox, R. 318 S. C. 2 B. & P. 270 2 
Swanst. R. 189, 192; 3 Bligh, 59 14 Ves. 160; 1 Ves. 31 12 Wheat. 596 1 
Hill, Ch. R. 844, 351 1 Term. St. It. 512, 517; 1 Ala. R. 23, 28; 11 Ohio 
It. 444, 449 8 Misso. It. 169, 175. 
     5.- 3. A debtor liable to contribution is not responsible upon a 
contract, but is so in equity. But courts of common law, in modern times, 
have assumed a jurisdiction to compel contribution among sureties, in the 
absence of any positive contract, on the ground of an implied assumpsit, and 
each of the sureties may be sued for his respective quota or proportion. 
White's L. C. in Eq. 66. The remedy in equity is, however, much more 
effective. For example, a surety who pays an entire debt, can, in equity, 
compel the solvent sureties to contribute towards the payment of the entire 
debt. 1 Chan. R. 34 1 Chan. Cas. 246; Finch, R. 15, 203. But at law he can 
recover no more than an aliquot part of the whole, regard being had to the 
number of co-sureties. 2 B. & P. 268; 6 B. & C. 697. 
     6.-4. When land is charged with the payment of a legacy, or an estate 
with the portion of a posthumous child, every part is bound to make 
contribution. 3 Munf. R. 29; 1 John. Ch. R. 425 2 Bouv. Inst. n. 1301. 
     7.-5. Contribution takes place in another case; namely, when in order 
to save a ship or cargo, a part of the goods are cast overboard, the ship 
and cargo are liable to contribution in order to indemnify the owner of the 
goods lost, except his just proportion. No contribution can be claimed 
between joint wrong doers. Bac. Ab. Assumpsit A; Vide 3 Com. Dig. 143; 8 
Com. Dig. 373; 5 Vin. Ab. 561; 2 Supp. to Ves. jr. 159, 343; 3 Ves. jr. 64; 
Wesk. Ins. 130; 10 S. & R. 75; 5 B. & Ad. 936; S. C. 3 N. & M. 258; Rast. 
Entr. 161; 2 Ventr. 348; 2 Vern. 592; 2 B. & P. 268; 3 B. & P 235; 5 East, 
225; 1 J. P. Smith 411 5 Esp. 194; 3 Campb. 480; Gow, N. P. C. 13; 2 A. & E. 
57; 4 N. & M. 64; 6 N. & M. 494. 
    

120 Moby Thesaurus words for "contribution":
      accommodation, accordance, alms, alms fee, assessment, association,
      award, awarding, benefaction, beneficence, bestowal, bestowment,
      blackmail, call, call for, cess, chanty, charity, claim,
      cochairmanship, collection, communication, complicity, concession,
      condominium, conferment, conferral, conscience money,
      copartnership, copartnery, cotenancy, deliverance, delivery,
      demand, demand for, direct tax, dole, donation, donative, draft,
      drain, duty, endowment, engagement, exaction, extortion,
      extortionate demand, furnishment, gifting, giving,
      graduated taxation, grant, granting, handout, having a part,
      heavy demand, impartation, impartment, imposition, impost, indent,
      indirect tax, insistent demand, investiture, involvement,
      joint chairmanship, joint control, joint ownership, joint return,
      joint tenancy, levy, liberality, nonnegotiable demand, notice,
      offer, offering, offertory, order, partaking, participation,
      partnership, pittance, presentation, presentment, progressive tax,
      provision, requirement, requisition, rush, rush order,
      separate returns, sharing, single tax, subscription, suffrage,
      supertax, supplying, surrender, surtax, tax, tax base, tax dodging,
      tax evasion, tax exemption, tax return, tax structure,
      tax withholding, tax-exempt status, taxable income, taxation,
      taxing, tithe, toll, tribute, ultimatum, voting, votive offering,
      vouchsafement, warning, withholding tax