shorthand

[shawrt-hand]

noun

1. a method of rapid handwriting using simple strokes, abbreviations, or symbols that designate letters, words, or phrases (longhand ).

2. a simplified or makeshift manner or system of communication.

   We spoke in a kind of pidgin shorthand to overcome the language barrier.

adjective

1. using or able to use shorthand.

2. written in shorthand.

3. of or relating to shorthand.

shorthand

/ ˈʃɔːtˌhænd /

noun

1. 1. a system of rapid handwriting employing simple strokes and other symbols to represent words or phrases

   2. ( as modifier )

      a shorthand typist

Word History and Origins

Origin of shorthand¹

First recorded in 1630–40; short + hand

Example Sentences

The phrase "by the end of the parliament" is shorthand for 2028, when the next general election is most likely to take place.

From BBC

“Touch grass” has become a generation’s cultural shorthand to describe both the isolation and cure for people who seem so deep into a virtual world that the real one has lost meaning.

From Los Angeles Times

His turn in “Indecent Proposal” as the wealthy man who offers to rent his employee’s wife lives on as shorthand for tycoons who assume they can buy whatever, and whoever, they want.

From Los Angeles Times

The occasional times West spoke directly about the film were often in shorthand, referencing movies like “The Aviator” and “There Will Be Blood,” portraits of men whose genius curdles into obsession and madness.

From Los Angeles Times

Timing and temperature got their own shorthand with “BTBRTS” — Bring to Boil, Reduce to Simmer.

From Salon

Related Words

• calligraphy 
• handwriting 
• print 
• script