Dictionary
ab•bre•vi•ate
Pronunciation: (u-brē'vē-āt"), [key]
—v., -at•ed, -at•ing.
—
v.t.
1. to shorten (a word or phrase) by omitting letters, substituting shorter forms, etc., so that the shortened form can represent the whole word or phrase, as
ft. for
foot, ab. for
about, R.I. for
Rhode Island, NW for
Northwest, or
Xn for
Christian.
2. to reduce (anything) in length, duration, etc.; make briefer:
to abbreviate a speech.
—
v.i.
to use abbreviations.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.