The Collaborative International Dictionary
Abbreviate \Ab*bre"vi*ate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Abbreviated; p. pr. & vb. n. Abbreviating.] [L. abbreviatus, p. p. of abbreviare; ad + breviare to shorten, fr. brevis short. See Abridge.]
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To make briefer; to shorten; to abridge; to reduce by contraction or omission, especially of words written or spoken.
It is one thing to abbreviate by contracting, another by cutting off.
--Bacon. (Math.) To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction.
Wiktionary
vb. (present participle of abbreviate English)
Usage examples of "abbreviating".
It was perceived that in thus abbreviating a name one narrowed and subtly altered its meaning, by cutting out most of the associations that would otherwise cling to it.
This accounted not only for the habit of abbreviating whenever possible, but also for the almost exaggerated care that was taken to make every word easily pronounceable.
It was perceived that in thus abbreviating a name one narrowed and subtly altered its meaning, by cutting out most of the associations that would otherwise cling to it.
This accounted not only for the habit of abbreviating whenever possible, but also for the almost exaggerated care that was taken to make every word easily pronounceable.
Each bore the head of the Rankan ruler on the obverse, with a stylized lightning bolt and some letters abbreviating something or other that was doubtless important in Ranke.
Parnock was so august a personage that it was impossible to think of anyone abbreviating him to "Gus.