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continental drift
continental margin
continental quilt
continental rise
continental shelf
continental slope
continental United States
contingence
contingency
contingency fee
contingency plan
contingency reserve
contingency tax
contingent
contingent beneficiary
contingent fee
contingent liability
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contingency

con·tin·gen·cy [ kən tínjənssee ] (plural con·tin·gen·cies)


noun 
Definition:
 
1. something that may happen: an event that might occur in the future, especially a problem, emergency, or expense that might arise unexpectedly and therefore must be prepared for

2. something set aside for unforeseen emergency: provision made against future unforeseen events, e.g. an allocation of funds in a budget

3. dependence upon chance: dependence upon chance or factors and circumstances that are presently unknown

4. precondition in contract: a condition in a contract that has to be fulfilled before the contract is binding

5. change in meaning produced by clause: in systemic grammar, a change in the meaning of the main clause brought about by the addition of a dependent clause introduced by "if," "when," "though," or "since"

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