content

content
content
1. Content is pronounced with stress on the second syllable as a verb (see 2), adjective, and noun (meaning ‘a contented state’: see 3), and on the first syllable as a noun (meaning ‘what is contained’: see 4).
2. Content oneself with (not by) is the right form of the phrase that means ‘not go beyond (some course of action)’, when followed by a verbal noun:

• Fans of classic Japanese cinema have had to content themselves with reading about, rather than seeing, films like Drunken Angel —film website, 2000 [OEC].

3. Content and contentment both mean ‘a contented state’, but contentment is the more usual word, with content found chiefly as a poetical variant in the expression to one's heart's content.
4. Content and contents both mean ‘what is contained’ in physical and abstract senses. There is little difference in meaning; content is the more usual choice when the thing in question is a mass noun (and obligatory when preceded by a defining word, e.g. protein content), and contents is the more usual choice when a number of countable items is involved, but exceptions are not hard to find:

• Questions like the protein content of bacon butties…and the vitamin rating of corned beef sarnies —Times, 1980

• The whisky bottle was still in play, though its contents…had not shrunk catastrophically —M. Hatfield, 1981

• In a sideline to the main argument for God's existence, Descartes considers the content of a number of different ideas he has —T Sorell, 2000.


Modern English usage. 2014.

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  • content — content, ente [ kɔ̃tɑ̃, ɑ̃t ] adj. • fin XIIIe; lat. contentus, de continere → contenir ♦ Satisfait. 1 ♦ Content de qqch. Vx Comblé, qui n a plus besoin d autre chose. « Qui vit content de rien possède toute chose » (Boileau). Subst. m. (fin XVe) …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • content — content, ente (kon tan, tan t ) adj. 1°   Qui se contente de, qui s accommode de, se borne à. Content de peu. •   Le sage y vit en paix [sous l humble toit] et méprise le reste ; Content de ses douceurs, errant parmi les bois, Il regarde à ses… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • content — CONTENT, ENTE. adj. Celui, celle qui a l esprit satisfait. Un homme content. Il est content de sa condition, de sa fortune, de ses biens. Il est content de peu de choses. Elle est contente de tout. Il vit content. Il a le coeur content. Il ne… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • content — CONTENT, [cont]ente. adj. Qui est satisfait, qui a ce qu il desire. Un homme content. un esprit content. il est content de sa condition, de sa fortune, de ses biens. il est content de peu de chose. il vit content. il a le coeur content. il mene… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • content — Content, AEquus, Contentus. Estre content de ce qu on a, Continere se finibus rerum suarum. Estre content, Magnitudinem animi adhibere rei alicui. Estre content de perdre du sien, Concedere de iure suo. Je suis, ou J en suis content, Per me licet …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • Content — or contents may refer to: Contentment, a state of being Content (algebra), the highest common factor of a polynomial s coefficients Content (measure theory), an additive real function defined on a field of sets Content (media), published… …   Wikipedia

  • content — con‧tent [ˈkɒntent ǁ ˈkɑːn ] noun 1. contents [plural] the things that are inside a bag, box, room etc: • The contents of the suitcase were seized by the police. 2. contents [plural] the things that are written in a letter, document, book etc: •… …   Financial and business terms

  • Content 2.0 — is a technology that turns a static (content rich) web page on a web site into an interactive web page. This ability to interact with the web pages means that visitors to a Content 2.0 enabled web site can comment on the content that s on the… …   Wikipedia

  • content — Ⅰ. content [1] ► ADJECTIVE ▪ in a state of peaceful happiness or satisfaction. ► VERB 1) satisfy; please. 2) (content oneself with) accept (something) as adequate despite wanting something more or better. ► NOUN …   English terms dictionary

  • Content — Con*tent , n. 1. Rest or quietness of the mind in one s present condition; freedom from discontent; satisfaction; contentment; moderate happiness. [1913 Webster] Such is the fullness of my heart s content. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. Acquiescence… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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