Added 2 October 2026
abbreviation
/əˌbɹiː.viˈeɪ.ʃən/ noun
In Latin: abbreviātiō First recorded: 1400 Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about abbreviation at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The result of shortening or reducing; abridgment. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
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A shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase used to represent the whole, using omission of letters, and sometimes substitution of letters, or duplication of initial letters to signify plurality, including signs such as +, =, @. (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)
Hants is an abbreviation of Hampshire.
- The process of abbreviating.
Origin
First attested 1400–50. From Middle English abbreviacioun, from Middle French abreviation, from Ecclesiastical Latin abbreviātiō, from Latin ad + breviō (“shorten”), from brevis (“short”). By surface analysis, abbreviate + -ion.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)