foreshorten

[ fawr-shawr-tn, fohr- ]

/ fɔrˈʃɔr tn, foʊr- /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of foreshorten

First recorded in 1600–10; fore- + shorten

Related formsun·fore·short·ened, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for foreshortening

The Baptist is twisting round, to display the foreshortening which Pordenone particularly affects.
The Venetian School of Painting|Evelyn March Phillipps
By looking at them thus from below he gained an idea of foreshortening.
Pictures Every Child Should Know|Dolores Bacon
He can even see the foreshortening of the shadows on the road.
More Tales by Polish Authors|Various
One leg is extended towards the spectator, the foreshortening of which is a marvel of execution.
The Pictureque Antiquities of Spain;|Nathaniel Armstrong Wells

Admire the foreshortening—the harmony—the repose—the expression, and all that.
Lady Eureka, v. 2 (of 3)|Robert Folkestone Williams

British Dictionary definitions for foreshortening

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

Word Origin and History for foreshortening

foreshorten

c.1600, from fore- + shorten. Related: Foreshortened; foreshortening.