Abbreviating

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Abbreviate \Ab*bre"vi*ate\ ([a^]b*br[=e]"v[i^]*[=a]t), 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}.]
     1. To make briefer; to shorten; to abridge; to reduce by
        contraction or omission, especially of words written or


        spoken.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              It is one thing to abbreviate by contracting,
              another by cutting off.               --Bacon.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Math.) To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction.
        [1913 Webster]