'Contradict' is Latin for 'speak against' — from 'contra' (against) + 'dicere' (to say).
To deny the truth of a statement by asserting the opposite; to be in conflict or at variance with.
From Latin 'contrādīctus,' past participle of 'contrādīcere' (to speak against, to oppose in speech), from 'contrā' (against, opposite) + 'dīcere' (to say, to speak). In Classical Latin, the form was actually two separate words: 'contrā dīcere.' The compound was written as one word only in Late Latin. The PIE root *deyḱ- (to point out, to show) underlies 'dīcere,' connecting 'contradict' to 'edict,' 'verdict,' 'predict,' and the entire 'diction' family. Key roots: contrā (Latin: "against, opposite"), dīcere (Latin: "to say, to speak