abbreviate

[uh-bree-vee-eyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR abbreviate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), ab·bre·vi·at·ed, ab·bre·vi·at·ing.

to shorten (a word or phrase) by omitting letters, substituting shorter forms, etc., so that the shortened form can represent the whole word or phrase, as ft. for foot, ab. for about, R.I. for Rhode Island, NW for Northwest, or Xn for Christian.

to reduce (anything) in length, duration, etc.; make briefer: to abbreviate a speech.

verb (used without object), ab·bre·vi·at·ed, ab·bre·vi·at·ing.

to use abbreviations.

Origin of abbreviate

1400–50; late Middle English abbreviaten < Late Latin abbreviātus shortened (past participle of abbreviāre), equivalent to Latin ad- ad- + breviātus (brevi(s) short + -ātus -ate¹)

Related formsab·bre·vi·a·tor, noun

Synonyms for abbreviate

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR abbreviate ON THESAURUS.COM

See shorten.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for abbreviate

abridge, compress, abort, truncate, trim, pare, cut, prune, clip, abstract, reduce, condense, contract, summarize, encapsulate, digest, restrict, curtail

Examples from the Web for abbreviate

Contemporary Examples of abbreviate

And it's easier to delay something than to make something happen, so things tended to elongate rather than abbreviate.
Donald Rumsfeld on What Went Right
John Barry
February 8, 2011

Historical Examples of abbreviate

"Well, abbreviate 'community,' that's the longest word," suggested Dick.
Marjorie's Busy Days
Carolyn Wells
It is common, however, to abbreviate them in a manner peculiarly Malay.
A Manual of the Malay language
William Edward Maxwell
Page 289: "Ben: Perley Poore" did abbreviate his first name with a colon.
Abraham Lincoln
William Eleroy Curtis
She thought his name long, but had not yet decided how to abbreviate it.
To Leeward
F. Marion Crawford
There are a number of words which we abbreviate or contract, in our every-day use.
Plain English
Marian Wharton

British Dictionary definitions for abbreviate

abbreviate

verb (tr)

to shorten (a word or phrase) by contraction or omission of some letters or words

to shorten (a speech or piece of writing) by omitting sections, paraphrasing, etc

to cut short

Derived Formsabbreviator, noun

Word Origin for abbreviate

C15: from the past participle of Late Latin abbreviāre, from Latin brevis brief

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for abbreviate

mid-15c., from Latin abbreviatus, past participle of abbreviare "to shorten" (see abbreviation). Also sometimes 15c. abbrevy, from Middle French abrevier (14c.), from Latin abbreviare. Related: Abbreviated; abbreviating.