contestare

to contest

verb kon-tes-TAH-reh Less Common

Origin: From Latin contestari (to call witnesses, to dispute).

Also means

to dispute

Usage Note

Contestare takes avere. In legal and administrative Italian it means to formally notify or charge someone (contestare un'infrazione, to cite an infraction). In everyday speech it means to challenge or dispute (contestare una decisione, to contest a decision). The noun contestazione (dispute, formal charge) shares the same range.

Examples

"L'avvocato ha contestato le accuse."

Natural Translation

The lawyer contested the charges.

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