Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - contrast

 I. verb  Etymology: French ~er, from Middle French, to oppose, resist, alteration of contrester, from Vulgar Latin *~are, from Latin contra- + stare to stand — more at stand  Date: 1646  transitive verb to set off in ~ ; compare or appraise in respect to differences ~ European and American manners — often used with to or with ~ing her with other women — Victoria Sackville-West  intransitive verb to form a ~  Synonyms: see compare  • ~able adjective  • ~ingly adverb  II. noun  Date: 1711  1.  a. juxtaposition of dissimilar elements (as color, tone, or emotion) in a work of art  b. degree of difference between the lightest and darkest parts of a picture  2.  a. the difference or degree of difference between things having similar or comparable natures the ~ between the two forms of government  b. comparison of similar objects to set off their dissimilar qualities ; the state of being so compared the enforced simplicity in this diary…is in ~ to the intensity of his former life — Times Literary Supplement  3. a person or thing that exhibits differences when compared with another