abbreviate

• POS: Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: ab=bre=vi=ate

CIDE DICTIONARY

abbreviate, v. t. [L. abbreviatus, p. p. of abbreviare; ad + breviare to shorten, fr. brevis short. See Abridge.].

•  To make briefer; to shorten; to abridge; to reduce by contraction or omission, especially of words written or spoken.  [1913 Webster]

  "It is one thing to abbreviate by contracting, another by cutting off."  [1913 Webster]
•  To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction.  [1913 Webster]

abbreviate, a. [L. abbreviatus, p. p.].

•  Abbreviated; abridged; shortened.  Earle.  [1913 Webster]
•  Having one part relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type.  [1913 Webster]

abbreviate, n. 

 An abridgment.  Elyot.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

abbreviate, v.tr. shorten, esp. represent (a word etc.) by a part of it.

Etymology

ME f. LL abbreviare shorten f. brevis short: cf. ABRIDGE

THESAURUS

abbreviate

abridge, abstract, attenuate, be telegraphic, blot out, blue-pencil, bob, boil down, bowdlerize, cancel, capsulize, censor, circumscribe, clip, coarct, compact, compress, concentrate, condense, consolidate, constrict, constringe, contract, cramp, crop, cross out, curtail, cut, cut back, cut down, cut off short, cut short, decrease, delete, dock, draw, draw in, draw together, edit, edit out, elide, epitomize, erase, expunge, expurgate, extenuate, foreshorten, kill, knit, mow, narrow, nip, omit, poll, pollard, prune, pucker, pucker up, purse, reap, recap, recapitulate, reduce, rescind, retrench, rub out, shave, shear, shorten, slash, snub, solidify, strangle, strangulate, strike, strike off, strike out, stunt, sum up, summarize, synopsize, take in, telescope, trim, truncate, void, waste no words, wrinkle

ROGET THESAURUS

abbreviate

Compendium

VB abridge, abstract, epitomize, summarize, make an abstract, prepare an abstract, draw an abstract, compile an abstract, recapitulate, review, skim, run over, sum up, abbreviate, condense, compile.

Shortness

VB be short, render short, shorten, curtail, abridge, abbreviate, take in, reduce, compress, epitomize, retrench, cut short, obtruncate, scrimp, cut, chop up, hack, hew, cut down, pare down, clip, dock, lop, prune, shear, shave, mow, reap, crop, snub, truncate, pollard, stunt, nip, check the growth of, foreshorten (in drawing).