shortening
(noun) act of decreasing in length; “the dress needs shortening”
shortening
(noun) fat such as butter or lard used in baked goods
Source: WordNet® 3.1
shortening (countable and uncountable, plural shortenings)
(US, cooking) Fat that is solid at room temperature, such as margarine or lard (not usually used of butter), used to make shortcrust pastry.
verbal noun of shorten - a reduction in length.
• extension
• lengthening
shortening
present participle of shorten
• Heringtons
Source: Wiktionary
Short"en*ing, n.
1. The act of making or becoming short or shorter.
2. (Cookery)
Definition: That which renders pastry short or friable, as butter, lard, etc.
Short"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shortened ; p. pr. & vb. n. Shortening.] Etym: [See Short, a.]
1. To make short or shorter in measure, extent, or time; as, to shorten distance; to shorten a road; to shorten days of calamity.
2. To reduce or diminish in amount, quantity, or extent; to lessen; to abridge; to curtail; to contract; as, to shorten work, an allowance of food, etc. Here, where the subject is so fruitful, I am shortened by my chain. Dryden.
3. To make deficient (as to); to deprive; -- with of. Spoiled of his nose, and shortened of his ears. Dryden.
4. To make short or friable, as pastry, with butter, lard, pot liquor, or the like. To shorten a rope (Naut.), to take in the slack of it.
– To shorten sail (Naut.), to reduce sail by taking it in.
Short"en, v. i.
Definition: To become short or shorter; as, the day shortens in northern latitudes from June to December; a metallic rod shortens by cold.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
3 April 2025
(noun) an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; “how big is that part compared to the whole?”; “the team is a unit”
International Coffee Day (September 29) is an occasion to promote and celebrate coffee as a beverage, with events occurring in places across the world. A day to promote fair trade coffee and raise awareness for the coffee growers’ plight. Other countries celebrate this event on October 1.
