You searched for: “abbreviates
abbreviate (uh BREE vi ayt) (verb), abbreviates; abbreviated; abbreviating
1. To shorten a word by leaving out some of its letters or sounds: Jonathan decided he would be abbreviating his name to "Jon".
2. To shorten a piece of text by cutting out sections or paraphrasing it, as in abridging or shortening: The speaker abbreviated his lecture so the audience could go home before the thunderstorm started.
3. Etymology: the -brev- in abbreviate, abbreviates, etc. came from Latin brevis, meaning "short", which is also the source of the word brief; therefore, abbreviate means "to make briefer, to make shorter" by combining or omitting elements of the contents of a verbal or a written message.
This entry is located in the following units: a-, ab-, abs- (page 1) -ate (to do) (page 1) brevi-, brev- [brie-, bri-] + (page 1)
Word Entries at Get Words: “abbreviates
abbreviate (uh BREE vee ayt") (verb), abbreviates; abbreviated; abbreviating
1. To cut short, to reduce, or to compress a word or phrase into a shorter form that is intended to represent the full form: People can abbreviate the word "Mister" into "Mr."
2. To curtail, to trim, or to shorten: Since time was short, Maurice abbreviated his visit with his friends.
3. Etymology: the brev- in abbreviate comes from the Latin brevis, "short", which is also the source of brief; so, naturally, abbreviate means "to make briefer, to make shorter" by combining or omitting something; for example, changing "dozen" to "doz." and "quart" to "qt.".
This entry is located in the following unit: English Words in Action, Group A (page 1)