shortening
[ shawrt-ning, shawr-tn-ing ]
/ ˈʃɔrt nɪŋ, ˈʃɔr tn ɪŋ /
noun
butter, lard, or other fat, used to make pastry, bread, etc., short.
Phonetics. the act, process, or an instance of making or becoming short.
Linguistics.
- 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.
- clipped form.
QUIZZES
DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?
"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
Words nearby shortening
shortcoming, shortcrust pastry, shortcut, shorten, shortened form, shortening, shorter, shorter catechism, shortfall, shortfin corvina, shortgrass
Definition for shortening (2 of 2)
shorten
[ shawr-tn ]
/ ˈʃɔr tn /
verb (used with object)
to reduce, decrease, take in, etc.: to shorten sail.
to make (pastry, bread, etc.) short, as with butter or other fat.
Sports. choke(def 8).
verb (used without object)
SYNONYMS FOR shorten
1 condense, lessen, limit, restrict. Shorten, abbreviate, abridge, curtail mean to make shorter or briefer. Shorten is a general word meaning to make less in extent or duration: to shorten a dress, a prisoner's sentence. The other three terms suggest methods of shortening. To abbreviate is to make shorter by omission or contraction: to abbreviate a word. To abridge is to reduce in length or size by condensing, summarizing, and the like: to abridge a document. Curtail suggests deprivation and lack of completeness because of omitting some part: to curtail an explanation.
5 contract, lessen.
OTHER WORDS FROM shorten
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for shortening
British Dictionary definitions for shortening (1 of 2)
shortening
/ (ˈʃɔːtənɪŋ) /
noun
butter, lard, or other fat, used in a dough, cake mixture, etc, to make the mixture short
British Dictionary definitions for shortening (2 of 2)
shorten
/ (ˈʃɔːtən) /
verb
to make or become short or shorter
(tr) nautical to reduce the area of (sail)
(tr) to make (pastry, bread, etc) short, by adding butter or another fat
gambling to cause (the odds) to lessen or (of odds) to become less
Derived forms of shorten
shortener, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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