abbreviation
abbreviation Lexical Profile
abbreviation Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A shortened form of a written word or phrase used in place of the whole for brevity.
"The medical chart was filled with standard abbreviations that only the hospital staff could quickly decipher."
The act or process of shortening, condensing, or making something brief.
"The sudden abbreviation of the summer semester forced the professors to condense their lecture schedules."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Abbreviation" is the broad umbrella term for any shortened form of a word or phrase, whereas "acronym" specifically refers to an abbreviation formed from initial letters and pronounced as a single word (such as NASA), and "initialism" refers to one pronounced letter by letter (such as FBI).
• Rhymes for abbreviation
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 15th century from Middle French abréviation and Late Latin abbreviātiōnem, from the verb abbreviāre ("to shorten"), formed from ad- ("to") and brevis ("short").
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.