Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Abbreviate
Ab-bre′vi-ate
(ăb-brē′vĭ-āt)
, Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Abbreviated
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Abbreviating
.] 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.)
To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction.
Ab-bre′vi-ate
(ăb-brē′vĭ-ā̍t)
, Adj.
[L.
abbreviatus
, p. p.] 1.
Abbreviated; abridged; shortened.
[R.]
“The abbreviate form.” Earle.
2.
(Biol.)
Having one part relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type.
Ab-bre′vi-ate
,Noun.
An abridgment.
[Obs.]
Elyot.
Webster 1828 Edition
Abbreviate
ABBRE'VIATE
,Verb.
T.
1.
To shorten; to make shorter by contracting the parts. [In this sense, not much used, nor often applied to material substances.]2.
To shorten; to abridge by the omission or defalcation of a part; to reduce to a smaller compass; as to abbreviate a writing.3.
In mathematics, to reduce fractions to the lowest terms.