Online Etymology Dictionary

contempt (n.): late 14c., from Latin contemptus "scorn," from past participle of contemnere "to scorn, despise," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + *temnere "to slight, scorn," of uncertain origin. Phrase contempt of court is attested from 19c., though the idea is several centuries older.
contemptible (adj.): late 14c., from Latin contemptibilis "worthy of scorn," from contempt-, past participle stem of contemnere (see contempt). Related: Contemptibility; contemptibly.
contemptuous (adj.): 1590s, from Latin contemptus (see contempt). Related: Contemptuously.
contend (v.): mid-15c., from Old French contendre, from Latin contendere "to stretch out, strive after," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + tendere "to stretch" (see tenet). Related: Contended; contending.
contender (n.): 1540s, agent noun from contend.
content (adj.): c.1400, from Old French content, "satisfied," from Latin contentus "contained, satisfied," past participle of continere (see contain). Related: Contently (largely superseded by contentedly).
content (v.): early 15c., from Middle French contenter, from content (adj.) "satisfied," from Latin contentus "contained, satisfied," past participle of continere (see contain). Sense evolved through "contained," "restrained," to "satisfied," as the contented person's desires are bound by what he or she already has. Related: Contented; contentedly.
content (n.): "that which is contained," early 15c., from Latin contentum, contenta, noun use of past participle of continere (see contain). Meaning "satisfaction" is from 1570s; heart's content is from 1590s (Shakespeare).
contention (n.): late 14c., "strife," from Old French contention, from Latin contentionem (nominative contentio), from content-, past participle stem of contendere (see contend).
contentious (adj.): c.1500, from Middle French contentieux, from Latin contentiosus "obstinate, quarrelsome," from contentionem (see contend). Related: Contentiously; contentiousness.
contentment (n.): mid-15c., from Old French contentment, from contenter (see content (v.)).
contents (n.): "things contained" in something (the stomach, a document, etc.), early 15c., Latin contentum (plural contenta), neuter past participle of continere (see contain). Table of contents is late 15c.
conterminous (adj.): 1670s, from Latin conterminus "bordering upon, having a common boundary," from com- "together, with" (see com-) + terminus (see terminus).
contessa (n.): 1819, from Italian contessa, from Medieval Latin cometissa (see countess).
contest (v.): c.1600, from French contester "dispute, oppose," from Middle French, from Latin contestari (litem) "to call to witness, bring action," from com- "together" (see com-) + testari "to bear witness," from testis "a witness," (see testament). Calling witnesses as the first step in a legal combat. Related: Contestable; contested; contesting.
contest (n.): 1640s, from contest (v.).
contestant (adj.): 1660s, from French contestant, present participle of contester (see contest (v.)).
contestant (n.): "one who contests," from contestant (adj.). Popularized in U.S. Civil War, when it was a journalist's term for the combatants on either side.
contestation (n.): 1540s, from Latin contestationem (nominative contestatio), "an attesting, testimony," noun of action from past participle stem of contestari (see contest (v.)).
contested (adj.): 1670s, past participle adjective from contest (v.). Of elections, from 1771, American English.
contex (v.): obsolete 16c.-17c. verb from Latin contexere "to weave together" (see context).
context (n.): early 15c., from Latin contextus "a joining together," originally past participle of contexere "to weave together," from com- "together" (see com-) + texere "to weave" (see texture).
contextual (adj.): c.1820, from context on model of textual, etc. In philosophy, contextual definition is recorded from 1934, along with contextualization, contextualize. Related: Contextualized.
contextualise (v.): chiefly British English spelling of contextualize (see contextual); for suffix, see -ize. Related: Contextualised; contextualising.
contiguity (n.): 1640s, from French contiguité from Latin contiguitas, from contiguus (see contiguous).
contiguous (adj.): 1610s, from Latin contiguus "near, touching, bordering upon," from root of contingere "to touch upon" (see contact). Earlier form, now obsolete, was contiguate (mid-15c.).
continence (n.): late 14c., "self-restraint," from Old French continence (14c.), from Latin continentia "a holding back, repression," from continent-, present participle stem of continere (see continent). Especially of sexual desire from late 14c.; of the body's eliminatory functions, from 1915. Related: Continency.
continent (adj.): late 14c., "self-restraining," from Old French continent and directly from Latin continentem (nominative continens) "holding together, continuous," present participle of continere "hold together" (see contain). Meaning moved from "exercising self-restraint" to "chaste" 14c., and to bowel and bladder control 19c.
continent (n.): "large land mass," 1550s, from continent land (mid-15c.), translating Latin terra continens "continuous land," from continens, present participle of continere (see continent (adj.)).
continental (adj.): 1818 as a purely geographical term, from continent + -al (1). In reference to the European mainland (as opposed to Great Britain), recorded from 1760. Continental breakfast (the kind eaten on the continent as opposed to the kind eaten in Britain) is attested by 1855. In reference to the British American colonies from 1774; the Continental Congress is attested from 1775; continental divide in use by 1865; continental rise in geology from 1959; continental slope from 1907. Continental shelf first attested 1892.
continental drift: 1925, a translation of German Kontinentalverschiebung, proposed 1912 by German scientist Alfred Wegener (1880-1930); the theory was not widely accepted until after c.1950.
continentality (n.): 1897, a term in meteorology, from German kontinentalität (1895), from Latin continentem (see continent (adj.)).
contingence (n.): early 16c., from Medieval Latin *contingentia, from contingent- present participle stem of contingere "to touch" (see contact (n.)).
contingencies (n.): "unexpected additional expenses," 1660s, from contingency.
contingency (n.): 1560s, "quality of being contingent," from contingent + -cy. Meaning "a chance occurrence" is from 1610s.
contingent (adj.): late 14c., from Old French contingent or directly from Latin contingentem (nominative contingens) "happening, touching," present participle of contingere "to touch" (see contact). The noun is from 1540s, "thing happening by chance;" as "a group forming part of a larger group" from 1727.
continual (adj.): early 14c., continuell, from Old French continuel (12c.), from Latin continuus (see continue). That which is continual is that which is either always going on or recurs at short intervals and never comes to an end; that which is continuous is that in which there is no break between the beginning and the end. Related: Continually (c.1300, contynuelliche).
continuance (n.): mid-14c., "a keeping up, a going on," from Old French continuance (13c.), from continuer (see continue).
continuation (n.): late 14c., from Old French continuation (13c.), or directly from Latin continuationem (nominative continuatio), noun of action from continuat-, past participle stem of continuare (see continue).
continue (v.): mid-14c., contynuen, from Old French continuer (13c.), from Latin continuare "join together, connect, make or be continuous," from continuus "uninterrupted," from continere (intransitive) "to be uninterrupted," literally "to hang together" (see contain). Related: Continued; continuing.
continuity (n.): early 15c., from Middle French continuité, from Latin continuitatem (nominative continuitas), from continuus (see continue). Cinematographic sense is recorded from 1921, American English.
continuous (adj.): 1640s, from French continueus or directly from Latin continuus "uninterrupted, hanging together" (see continue). Related: Continuously.
continuum (n.): 1640s, from Latin continuum "a continuous thing," neuter of continuus (see continue). The plural is continua.
contort (v.): early 15c., from Latin contortus, past participle of contorquere "to whirl, twist together," from com- "together" or intensive (see com-) + torquere "to twist" (see thwart). Related: Contorted; contorting.
contortion (n.): early 15c., from Middle French contorsion or directly from Latin contortionem (nominative contorsio), noun of action from past participle stem of contorquere (see contort).
contortionist (n.): 1841, from contortion + -ist.
contour (n.): 1660s, a term in painting and sculpture, from French contour "circumference, outline," from Italian and Medieval Latin contornare "to go around," from Latin com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + tornare "to turn on a lathe," from tornus "lathe" (see turn).

First recorded application to topography is from 1769. Earlier the word was used to mean "bedspread, quilt" (early 15c.) in reference to its falling over the sides of the mattress. Related: Contoured. Contour line in geography is from 1844.
contra: mid-14c., from Latin contra (prep. and adv.) "against," originally "in comparison with," ablative singular feminine of *com-teros, from Old Latin com "with, together" (see com-) + -tr, zero degree of the comparative suffix -ter-.
Contra (n.): 1981, "anti-Sandinista Nicaraguan," short for Spanish contrarrevolucionario "counter-revolutionary."
contra dance: 1803, from French contre-danse, altered from English country dance by folk etymology from French contra "against," suggested by the arrangement of the partners in the dance. The dances and the name were taken up in France c. 1720s and from there passed to Spain and Italy (Spanish, Italian contra danza) then back to English.