[ad. L. contrectātiōn-em, n. of action f. contrectāre, -tractāre to touch, handle, f. con- intensive + tractāre to touch.] Handling, touching, fingering.
[1549. Chaloner, Erasmus on Folly, N j b. Never the more forbearyng from wyne, nor contrection of women.
1623. Cockeram, Contrection, a handling, a touching.]
1624. Gee, Foot out of Snare, 52. A possessed woman, in whose body they can canuas a diuell by contrectation, and certaine inchanting nips, making him ferret vp and downe.
1689. Harvey, Curing Dis. by Expect., xxii. 180. After a long contrectation of all the abdomen.
1882. Syd. Soc. Lex., Contrectation, examination by the finger; manipulation, as in shampooing.
b. In Rom. Law. (See quots.)
1602. Fulbecke, 1st Pt. Parall., 101. Theft is thus defined in our Law: A fraudulent contrectation of another mans corporall moueable goods, which is don against the will of the owner.
1880. Muirhead, trans. Gaius, Dig. 613. Any contrectation with another man’s property without his consent was theft.
† c. Handling; personal dealing with affairs; management. Obs.
1786–9. Bentham, Wks., II. 540. What is dominion? It is either the power of contrectation, or else that of imperation.
