shortening

American  

[shawrt-ning, shawr-tn-ing] / ˈʃɔrt nɪŋ, ˈʃɔr tn ɪŋ /

noun

1. butter, lard, or other fat, used to make pastry, bread, etc., short.

2. Phonetics. the act, process, or an instance of making or becoming short.

3. Linguistics.

   1. 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.

   2. clipped form.

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shortening British  

/ ˈʃɔːtənɪŋ /

noun

1. butter, lard, or other fat, used in a dough, cake mixture, etc, to make the mixture short

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Etymology

Origin of shortening

First recorded in 1535–45; shorten + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

“Investors are shortening up, staying safe and waiting for clarity,” said Matt Wrzesniewsky, head of fixed-income client-portfolio management at Vanguard.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

This provided clear evidence of acromesomelic dysplasia, Maroteaux type -- a very rare inherited disorder characterized by severe short stature and significant shortening of the limbs.

From Science Daily • Feb. 17, 2026

The report also raised concerns about shortening the first meeting Universal Credit claimants have with a work coach from 50 to 30 minutes.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

Regulatory pushback also could keep Netflix from shortening release windows, he added.

From Barron's • Dec. 5, 2025

Some scholars believe there is a direct link between the advent of cooking, the shortening of the human intestinal track, and the growth of the human brain.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari