Showing results for "shortening"

• present participle of shorten.

shortening

American  

[shawrt-ning, shawr-tn-ing] / ˈʃɔrt nɪŋ, ˈʃɔr tn ɪŋ /

noun

• shortenings
  plural

1. butter, lard, or other fat, used to make pastry, bread, etc., short.

2. Phonetics. the act, process, or an instance of making or becoming short.

3. Linguistics.

   1. the act or process of dropping one or more syllables from a word or phrase to form a shorter word with the same meaning, as in forming piano from pianoforte or phone from telephone.

   2. clipped form.

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shortening British  

/ ˈʃɔːtənɪŋ /

noun

1. butter, lard, or other fat, used in a dough, cake mixture, etc, to make the mixture short

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• shortenings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of shortening

First recorded in 1535–45; shorten + -ing ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shortening shortenings

But the shortening maturity of banks’ portfolios can help to cushion that move, because shorter-term bond prices are less sensitive to yield changes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

WIPO, the UN patent and innovation agency, said AI was shortening the paths of discovery and fuelling much of the world's economic growth.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

One phrase highlighted in her research is "incompetent cervix" used to describe the shortening of the cervix that can increase risks of pregnancy loss and early birth.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Chronic stress linked to everyday life may leave a lasting physical mark on the heart, potentially damaging cardiovascular health and shortening lifespan.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

He eased back ever so slightly on the reins and felt the horse’s stride come up under him, shortening.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

“Fats and shortenings are absolutely critical to pies,” says Ernest Miller, research and development chef at Coast Packing Co., a major supplier of animal fats and shortenings for cooking, baking and frying based in Vernon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2017

Anna Wierzbicka, a linguistics professor at the Australian National University, has said the country’s love affair with such shortenings reflects cherished ideals like “mateship,” humor, informality and a dislike for “long words.”

From New York Times ● Sep. 25, 2017

“You must like to decipher lousy handwriting, shortenings and a text without punctuation. You have to know the vocabulary of the 19th century,” Kutzer said.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 2, 2017

But the Food and Drug Administration had just threatened action against manufacturers who label shortenings and cooking oils as polyunsaturated, thus implying that they are good for the heart and arteries.

From Time Magazine Archive

At such times a knowledge of "shortenings" is valuable.

From Knots, Splices and Rope Work A Practical Treatise by A. Hyatt (Alpheus Hyatt) Verrill

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