In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
ABBREVIATE
abbreviate
(verb) shorten; “Abbreviate ‘New York’ and write ‘NY’”
abridge, foreshorten, abbreviate, shorten, cut, contract, reduce
(verb) reduce in scope while retaining essential elements; “The manuscript must be shortened”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Verb
abbreviate (third-person singular simple present abbreviates, present participle abbreviating, simple past and past participle abbreviated)
(obsolete, transitive) To shorten by omitting parts or details. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 17th century.]
(obsolete, intransitive) To speak or write in a brief manner. [Attested from the late 16th century until the early 17th century.]
(transitive) To make shorter; to shorten (in time); to abridge; to shorten by ending sooner than planned. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
(transitive) To reduce a word or phrase by means of contraction or omission to a shorter recognizable form. [First attested in the late 16th century.]
(transitive, mathematics) To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction.
Synonyms
• abridge
• compress
• condense
• contract
• curtail
• epitomize
• reduce
• shorten
Antonyms
• amplify
• dilate
• elongate
• enlarge
• expand
• expatiate
• extend
• lengthen
• produce
• prolong
• stretch
Etymology 2
Adjective
abbreviate (comparative more abbreviate, superlative most abbreviate)
(obsolete) Abbreviated; abridged; shortened. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 17th century]
(biology) Having one part relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type. [First attested in the mid 19th century.]
Noun
abbreviate (plural abbreviates)
(obsolete) An abridgment. [Mid 16th century.]
Source: Wiktionary
Ab*bre"vi*ate, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Abbreviated; p.pr. & vb.n. Abbreviating.] Etym: [L. abbreviatus, p.p. of abbreviare; ad + breviare to shorten, fr. brevis short. See Abridge.]
1. 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.
2. (Math.)
Definition: To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction.
Ab*bre"vi*ate, a. Etym: [L. abbreviatus, p.p.]
1. Abbreviated; abridged; shortened. [R.] "The abbreviate form." Earle.
2. (Biol.)
Definition: Having one part relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type.
Ab*bre"vi*ate, n.
Definition: An abridgment. [Obs.] Elyot.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Word of the Day
14 November 2024
FRISK
(noun) the act of searching someone for concealed weapons or illegal drugs; “he gave the suspect a quick frisk”
Coffee Trivia
