Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
ABBREVIATION
abbreviation
(noun) shortening something by omitting parts of it
abbreviation
(noun) a shortened form of a word or phrase
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
abbreviation (countable and uncountable, plural abbreviations)
The result of shortening or reducing; abridgment. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]
(linguistics) A shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase, used to represent the whole, utilizing omission of letters, and sometimes substitution of letters, or duplication of initial letters to signify plurality, including signs such as +, =, @. [Late 16th century.]
The process of abbreviating. [Mid 16th century.]
(music) A notation used in music score to denote a direction, as pp or mf.
(music) One or more dashes through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, demisemiquavers, or hemidemisemiquavers.
Any convenient short form used as a substitution for an understood or inferred whole.
(biology) Loss during evolution of the final stages of the ancestral ontogenetic pattern.
(mathematics) Reduction to lower terms, as a fraction.
Synonyms
• abbreviature; abridgement; abstract; compend; compression; condensation; contraction; curtailment; epitome; reduction; shortcut; summary
Antonyms
• amplification; dilation; enlargement; expansion; expatiation; extension; production
Hyponyms
• (linguistics): acronym (employing initial letters or syllables); initialism (employing initial letters); symbol, sign (employing marks other than letters)
Source: Wiktionary
Ab*bre`vi*a"tion, n. Etym: [LL. abbreviatio: cf. F. abbréviation.]
1. The act of shortening, or reducing.
2. The result of abbreviating; an abridgment. Tylor.
3. The form to which a word or phrase is reduced by contraction and omission; a letter or letters, standing for a word or phrase of which they are a part; as, Gen. for Genesis; U.S.A. for United States of America.
4. (Mus.)
Definition: One dash, or more, through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, or demi-semiquavers. Moore.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
3 March 2025
STAND
(verb) hold one’s ground; maintain a position; be steadfast or upright; “I am standing my ground and won’t give in!”
Coffee Trivia
