Word Study
contraption
CIDE DICTIONARY
contraption, n.
A contrivance; a new-fangled device; -- used scornfully.
"We all remember some of the extraordinary contraptions which have been thus evolved and put upon the market." [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
contraption, n. often derog. or joc. a machine or device, esp. a strange or cumbersome one.
Etymology
19th c.: perh. f. CONTRIVE, INVENTION: assoc. with TRAP(1)
THESAURUS
contraption
apparatus, contrivance, device, gadget, gimcrack, gimmick, gizmo, hand tool, implement, instrument, means, mechanical device, mechanism, power tool, precision tool, speed tool, thingumabob, thingumajig, thingummy, tool, utensil, widgetFor further exploring for "contraption" in Webster Dictionary Online