contestant (adj.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict[contestant 词源字典]
1660s, from French contestant, present participle of contester (see contest (v.)).[contestant etymology, contestant origin, 英语词源]
contestant (n.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
"one who contests," from contestant (adj.). Popularized in U.S. Civil War, when it was a journalist's term for the combatants on either side.