Contested; adversary; litigated between adverse or contending parties; a judicial proceeding not merely ex parte in its character, hut comprising attack and defense as between opposing parties, is so called. The litigious proceedings in ecclesi-astical courts are sometimes said to belong to its “contentious" jurisdiction, in contradis-tinctlon to what is called its "voluntary” Ju-risdiction, which is exercised in the grant-lng of licenses, probates of wills, dlspensa-tions, faculties, etc
Source: Black's Law Dictionary 2nd Ed (1910)
