From Middle English shortnen, schortenen, equivalent to short + -en (verbal suffix). In some senses, a continuation (in altered form) of Middle English schorten (“to make short, shorten”), from Old English sċortian (“to become short”), from Proto-Germanic *skurtōną (“to shorten”).
shorten (third-person singular simple present shortens, present participle shortening, simple past and past participle shortened)
- (transitive) To make shorter; to abbreviate.
[1877], Anna Sewell, “Earlshall”, in Black Beauty: […], London: Jarrold and Sons, […], →OCLC, part II, page 105:York came round to our heads and shortened the rein himself, one hole I think; every little makes a difference, be it for better or worse, and that day we had a steep hill to go up.
- (intransitive) To become shorter.
- (transitive) To make deficient (as to); to deprive (of).
1697, Virgil, “Aeneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:Spoiled of his nose, and shorten'd of his ears.
- (transitive) To make short or friable, as pastry, with butter, lard, etc.
- (transitive) To reduce or diminish in amount, quantity, or extent; to lessen.
- to shorten an allowance of food
1699, John Dryden, Dedication to His Grace the Duke of Ormond:Here, where the subject is so fruitful, I am shortened by my chain.
1858, George Borrow, The Romany Rye, volume 2, page 128:My grandfather, as I said before, was connected with a gang of shorters, and sometimes shortened money, […]
- (baking, of pastries, transitive) To make crumbly.
1894, Helen M. Laughlin, The Journal of Agriculture Cook Book, Journal of Agriculture Co., page 212:Corn flour makes delicious pie crust, and needs less lard to shorten it.
- (nautical, transitive) To take in the slack of (a rope).
- (nautical, transitive) To reduce (sail) by taking it in.
to make shorter
- Arabic: قَصَّرَ (ar) (qaṣṣara)
- Armenian: կարճացնել (hy) (karčacʻnel)
- Aromanian: shcurtedz
- Assamese: চুটি কৰা (suti kora), চাপৰ কৰা (sapor kora) (vertical)
- Belarusian: скарача́ць impf (skaračácʹ), скараці́ць pf (skaracícʹ)
- Breton: berraat (br)
- Bulgarian: скъсявам (bg) (skǎsjavam), съкращавам (bg) (sǎkraštavam)
- Catalan: escurçar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 弄短 (zh) (nòng duǎn)
- Czech: zkracovat impf, zkrátit (cs) pf
- Esperanto: mallongigi
- Finnish: lyhentää (fi)
- French: raccourcir (fr), écourter (fr)
- Friulian: scurtâ
- Galician: acurtar (gl), encurtar
- Georgian: შემოკლება (šemoḳleba), შეკვეცა (šeḳveca)
- German: verkürzen (de)
- Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gamaurgjan)
- Greek: συμπτύσσω (el) (symptýsso)
- Ancient: βραχύνω (brakhúnō)
- Hebrew: קיצר (kitsér)
- Ido: kurtigar (io)
- Italian: accorciare (it)scorciare (it)
- Japanese: 縮める (ja) (ちぢめる, chijimeru), 短くする (ja) (みじかくする, mijikaku suru), 短縮する (ja) (たんしゅくする, tanshuku suru)
- Kazakh: қысқарту (qysqartu)
- Ladin: scurter
- Latin: curtō, breviō, abbreviō
- Latvian: īsināt, paīsināt, saīsināt
- Macedonian: крати (krati), куси (kusi), скратува (skratuva), скусува (skusuva)
- Maori: tukupoto, tāpoto, poro, tauporo, tīporo
- Norman: accourchi (Jersey)
- Polish: skracać (pl) impf, skrócić (pl) pf
- Portuguese: encurtar (pt)
- Romanian: scurta (ro)
- Russian: укора́чивать (ru) impf (ukoráčivatʹ), укороти́ть (ru) pf (ukorotítʹ); сокраща́ть (ru) impf (sokraščátʹ), сократи́ть (ru) pf (sokratítʹ)
- Scottish Gaelic: giorraich
- Serbo-Croatian: skratiti (sh), скратити
- Sicilian: accurzari (scn)
- Spanish: acortar (es), abreviar (es), reducir (es)
- Sranan Tongo: syatu
- Swedish: förkorta (sv)
- Ukrainian: скоро́чувати impf (skoróčuvaty), скороти́ти pf (skorotýty)
- Welsh: byrhau (cy), cwtogi (cy)
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