Abbreviated
/əˈbrɪvɪeɪtɪd/
verbIntermediate📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning1 question
Definitions
1
To make something (such as a word or phrase) shorter by leaving out some letters or sounds.
/əˈbrɪvɪeɪt/
verbneutralIntermediate
General
make shorter
Abbreviations are often used in text messages to save time.
💡 Simply: To make something shorter by leaving out some letters or sounds.
More Examples
2
He had the tendency to abbreviate everything in his writing, making it difficult for others to understand.
How It's Used
General
"The company decided to abbreviate their name for marketing purposes."
Middle English: from Latin breviatus, past participle of breviare 'shorten', from brevis 'short'.
Historically, abbreviations were commonly used in handwritten manuscripts and margin notes.
Memory tip
Imagine a very long word you want to shorten, like 'antidisestablishmentarianism'. It's much easier to say when it's abbreviated!
Word Origin
LanguageLatin
Base: abbreviate
abbreviated formabbreviated name
Common misspellings
abriviatedabreviatedabrriviated
Practice
Usage
60%Spoken
40%Written