A person or team that is competing to win something; someone competing in a contest or fighting for a position.
From Latin 'contendere' (con- 'with' + tendere 'to stretch or strive'), meaning 'to struggle together.' The suffix '-er' indicates a person who does the action.
The root 'tendere' (to stretch) appears in 'tender,' 'extend,' 'tension,' and 'tent'—they all involve stretching or striving. A contender is someone stretching and striving against others to win.
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