from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Contact \Con"tact\ (k[o^]n"t[a^]kt), n. [L. contactus, fr.
contingere, -tactum, to touch on all sides. See
{Contingent}.]
1. A close union or junction of bodies; a touching or
meeting.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Geom.) The property of two curves, or surfaces, which
meet, and at the point of meeting have a common direction.
[1913 Webster]
3. (Mining) The plane between two adjacent bodies of
dissimilar rock. --Raymond.
[1913 Webster]
4. (Electricity) A metallic conducting component of an
electrical device connected to a circuit within and so
situated that it may form a conducting pathway to an
external power source or device when contacted by another
conductor; as, the contact on a standard light bulb has
the shape of a screw for easy insertion into the socket.
[PJC]
5. A person who serves to commmunicate information to or from
one group to another, whether formally or informally; as,
a good Washington reporter has contacts in the White
House.
[PJC]
{Contact level}, a delicate level so pivoted as to tilt when
two parts of a measuring apparatus come into contact with
each other; -- used in precise determinations of lengths
and in the accurate graduation of instruments.
[1913 Webster]