English Explanatory Dictionary

shorten

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb

To make shorter; to abbreviate.
To become shorter.
To make deficient (as to); to deprive (of).
To make short or friable, as pastry, with butter, lard, etc.
To reduce or diminish in amount, quantity, or extent; to lessen.
To make crumbly.
To take in the slack of (a rope).
To reduce (sail) by taking it in.
to dress (a baby) in a short (rather than long) gown

name

A surname.

Pronunciation

/ˈʃɔːtn̩/ /ˈʃɔɹtn̩/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-shorten.wav

Word forms

shorten shortens shortening shortened

Etymology

From Middle English shortnen, schortenen, equivalent to short + -en (verbal suffix). In some senses, a continuation (in altered form) of Middle English schorten (“to make short, shorten”), from Old English sċortian (“to become short”), from Proto-Germanic *skurtōną (“to shorten”).

Synonyms

abbreviate abridge chop down chop off cut short compress condense curt curtail lop off make shorter pare prune reduce in length shorten trim truncate saw off

Antonyms

extend lengthen

Derived words

foreshorten overshorten preshorten reshorten shortenable shorten down shortener shortening shorten up unshorten unshortened

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