Origin: Latin suffix -ance
Contrivance has 7 different meanings across 1 category:
a device or control that is very useful for a particular job
the faculty of contriving; inventive skill
"his skillful contrivance of answers to every problem"
an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade
"his testimony was just a contrivance to throw us off the track"
an artificial or unnatural or obviously contrived arrangement of details or parts etc.
"the plot contained too many improbable contrivances to be believable"
any improvised arrangement for temporary use
the act of devising something
a (mechanical) device to perform a certain task