Lewis & Short

2. contextus, ūs, m. [contexo], a joining or putting together, a connection (class.; esp. freq. in the trop. signif., and in Quint.).

  1. I. Lit.: corporum, * Lucr. 1, 243: aedificiorum, the building of, Dig. 39, 2, 15: ratis, Aus. Per. Odyss. 5.
  2. II. Trop., connection, coherence (very freq. in Quint.): mirabilis est apud illos (sc. Stoicos) contextus rerum: respondent extrema primis, etc., Cic. Fin. 5, 28, 83; cf.: in toto quasi contextu orationis, id. Part. Or. 23, 82; and: rerum ac verborum, Quint. 11, 2, 2: verborum, id. 11, 2, 28; 11, 2, 24: sermonis, id. 8, 3, 38: dicendi, id. 10, 7, 26: per partes dissolvitur, quod contextu nocet, id. 5, 13, 28; 9, 4, 55. historia non tam finitos numeros quam orbem quendam contextumque desiderat, id. 9, 4, 129; cf. Ernest. Lex. Techn. p. 90: litterarum, the succession of the letters, id. 1, 1, 24 sq.; cf.: in contextu operis, in the course, Tac. H. 2, 8.