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definitions

shorthand

[ shawrt-hand ]
/ ˈʃɔrtˌhænd /
|

noun

a method of rapid handwriting using simple strokes, abbreviations, or symbols that designate letters, words, or phrases (distinguished from longhand).
a simplified or makeshift manner or system of communication: We spoke in a kind of pidgin shorthand to overcome the language barrier.

adjective

using or able to use shorthand.
written in shorthand.
of or relating to shorthand.

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Nearby words

  1. shortfall,
  2. shortfin corvina,
  3. shortgrass,
  4. shorthair,
  5. shorthaired,
  6. shorthand typist,
  7. shorthead,
  8. shorthold tenancy,
  9. shorthorn,
  10. shortie

Origin of shorthand

First recorded in 1630–40; short + hand
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for short-hand

British Dictionary definitions for short-hand

shorthand

/ (ˈʃɔːtˌhænd) /

noun

  1. a system of rapid handwriting employing simple strokes and other symbols to represent words or phrases
  2. (as modifier)a shorthand typist
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 short-hand

shorthand

n.

method of rapid writing, 1636, from short (adj.) in the "rapid" sense + hand (n.) "handwriting." Short-handed "having too few 'hands' " is from 1794; the ice hockey sense is recorded from 1939.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper