shorten

views updated May 17 2018

short·en / ˈshôrtn/ • v. make or become shorter: [tr.] he shortened his stride | [intr.] around mid-September, days shorten and temperatures dip. ∎  [tr.] Sailing reduce the amount of (sail) exposed to the wind. ∎  (with reference to gambling odds) make or become shorter; decrease: [intr.] the odds had shortened to 14-1. ∎  [tr.] Prosody & Phonet. make (a vowel or syllable) short.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

shorten

views updated May 23 2018

shorten (-EN5) XVI. shorthand XVII.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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