foreshorten

[ fawr-shawr-tn, fohr- ]

/ fɔrˈʃɔr tn, foʊr- /

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verb (used with object)

Fine Arts. to reduce or distort (parts of a represented object that are not parallel to the picture plane) in order to convey the illusion of three-dimensional space as perceived by the human eye: often done according to the rules of perspective.

to abridge, reduce, or contract; make shorter.

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Origin of foreshorten

First recorded in 1600–10; fore- + shorten

OTHER WORDS FROM foreshorten

un·fore·short·ened, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use foreshorten in a sentence

In the decoration of this Correggio surpassed himself in his mastery of chiaroscuro and the foreshortening of the human figure.
Cathedral Cities of Italy|William Wiehe Collins
Approach to the edge of the disk also causes a foreshortening which sometimes entirely alters the aspect of a marking.
Pleasures of the telescope|Garrett Serviss
Pedestals were all very well at a proper distance, but at a close view they were foreshortening to the human figure.
The Helpmate|May Sinclair
He was the first who attempted the difficult task of foreshortening.
Anecdotes of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors and Architects, and Curiosities of Art, (Vol. 2 of 3)|Shearjashub Spooner

The foreshortening of the right arm and hand of Icarus is a clever piece of technical workmanship.
Van Dyck|Estelle M. Hurll

British Dictionary definitions for foreshorten

foreshorten

/ (fɔːˈʃɔːtən) /

verb (tr)

to represent (a line, form, object, etc) as shorter than actual length in order to give an illusion of recession or projection, in accordance with the laws of linear perspective

to make shorter or more condensed; reduce or abridge

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