abbreviate
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abbreviate
to shorten by contraction or omission, such as agcy., corp., Gov., Dr., Rev.
Not to be confused with:
abridge – to reduce or condense, such as a summary of a report or article: abridge a book; to lessen the duration or scope of; to curtail: abridge a person’s freedom
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
ab·bre·vi·ate
(ə-brē′vē-āt′)tr.v. ab·bre·vi·at·ed, ab·bre·vi·at·ing, ab·bre·vi·ates
1. To make shorter: abbreviated the meeting to make time for your visit. See Synonyms at shorten.
2. To reduce (a word or phrase) to a shorter form intended to represent the full form.
[Middle English abbreviaten, from Late Latin abbreviāre, abbreviāt- : ad-, ad- + breviāre, to shorten (from brevis, short; see mregh-u- in Indo-European roots).]
ab·bre′vi·a′tor n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
abbreviate
(əˈbriːvɪˌeɪt)vb (tr)
1. to shorten (a word or phrase) by contraction or omission of some letters or words
2. to shorten (a speech or piece of writing) by omitting sections, paraphrasing, etc
3. to cut short
[C15: from the past participle of Late Latin abbreviāre, from Latin brevis brief]
abˈbreviˌator n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ab•bre•vi•ate
(əˈbri viˌeɪt)v. -at•ed, -at•ing. v.t.
1. to shorten (a word or phrase) by omitting letters, substituting shorter forms, etc., so that the shortened form can represent the whole word or phrase.
2. to reduce in length, duration, etc.; make briefer: to abbreviate a speech.
v.i. 3. to use abbreviations.
[1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin abbreviātus, past participle of abbreviāre to shorten = Latin ad- ad- + -breviāre, v. derivative of brevis short]
ab•bre′vi•a`tor, n.
ab•bre′vi•a•to`ry (-vi əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i) adj.
syn: See shorten.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
abbreviate
Past participle: abbreviated
Gerund: abbreviating
| Imperative |
|---|
| abbreviate |
| abbreviate |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. |  abbreviate - reduce in scope while retaining essential elements; "The manuscript must be shortened"bowdlerise, bowdlerize, expurgate, castrate, shorten - edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate; "bowdlerize a novel" |
| 2. |  abbreviate - shorten; "Abbreviate `New York' and write `NY'"reduce - make less complex; "reduce a problem to a single question" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
abbreviate
verb shorten, reduce, contract, trim, cut, prune, summarize, compress, condense, abridge He abbreviated his first name to Alec.
extend, expand, prolong, stretch out, lengthen, amplify, draw out, increase, spin out, elongate, protract
extend, expand, prolong, stretch out, lengthen, amplify, draw out, increase, spin out, elongate, protract
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
abbreviate
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُخْتَصَر
zkrátit
forkorte
stytta; skammstafa
santrumpasutrumpintitrumpinti
saīsināt
kısaltmak
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
abbreviate
[əˈbriːvieɪt] vt [+ word, name] → abrégerto be abbreviated to sth → être abrégé(e) en qch
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
abbreviate
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
abbreviate
(əˈbriːvieit) verb to shorten (a word, phrase etc). Frederick is often abbreviated to Fred.
abˌbreviˈation noun a shortened form of a word etc. Maths is an abbreviation of mathematics.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
abbreviate
v. abreviar, acortar, reducir, resumir.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012