One entry found for abbreviate.

Main Entry: ab·bre·vi·ate
Pronunciation: -br-v-t
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -at·ed; -at·ing
Etymology: Middle English abbreviaten "abbreviate," from Latin abbreviatus "made short," from abbreviare "to shorten," from earlier ad- "to" and brevis "short" --related to ABRIDGE, BRIEF
: to make briefer : SHORTEN; especially : to reduce (as a word) to a shorter form intended to stand for the whole