You searched for: “abbreviating
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)