Abbreviate /(ăb*brē"vĭ*āt)/

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.

2. To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction. (Math.)

1. Abbreviated; abridged; shortened. [R.]
2. Having one part relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type. (Biol.)

1. An abridgment. [Obs.]