English Explanatory Dictionary

abbreviate

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To shorten by omitting parts or details.
  2. To speak or write in a brief manner.
  3. To make shorter; to shorten (in time); to abridge; to shorten by ending sooner than planned.
  4. To reduce a word or phrase by means of contraction or omission to a shorter recognizable form.
  5. To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction.
adj
  1. Abbreviated.
  2. Abbreviated, abridged, shortened.
  3. Having one part relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type.
noun
  1. An abridgment.

Pronunciation

/əˈbɹiː.vi.eɪt/ /əˈbɹi.vi.eɪt/ en-us-abbreviate.ogg /əˈbɹi.vi.ət/ /əˈbriviet/

Word forms

abbreviate abbreviates abbreviating abbreviated more abbreviate most abbreviate

Etymology

From Middle English abbreviaten, from abbreviat(e) (“abbreviated”, used as the participle of abbreviaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin abbreviātus, perfect passive participle of abbreviō (“to shorten”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), formed from ab- + breviō (“to shorten”), from brevis (“short”). Alternatively, a back-formation from abbreviation. Doublet of abridge.

Synonyms

abridge compress condense contract curtail epitomize reduce shorten simplify

Antonyms

amplify dilate elongate enlarge expand expatiate extend lengthen produce prolong stretch

Related words

abbreviation abbreviator

Derived words

abbreviatable abbreviately abbreviater abbreviative abbreviatory deabbreviate unabbreviatable unabbreviate

Translations

Finnish: lyhennetty Portuguese: abreviado Portuguese: encurtado Tamil: சுருக்கு
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on A Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary