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Abbreviate: meaning, definitions and examples

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abbreviate

 

[ əˈbriː.vi.eɪt ]

Verb / Noun
Context #1 | Verb

in writing

To shorten a word or phrase by omitting letters or sounds.

Synonyms

contract, shorten, truncate

Examples of usage

  • Please abbreviate the word 'abbreviation' to 'abbrev.'
  • The company name was abbreviated to just 'IBM'.
Context #2 | Verb

in formal writing

To shorten a word or phrase by using the initial letters or syllables.

Synonyms

contract, reduce, shorten

Examples of usage

  • The United States of America is often abbreviated as 'USA'.
  • The Latin phrase 'et cetera' can be abbreviated as 'etc.'.
Context #3 | Noun

linguistics

A shortened form of a word or phrase.

Synonyms

acronym, initialism, short form

Examples of usage

  • 'Dr.' is an abbreviation for 'Doctor'.
  • 'ASAP' is an abbreviation for 'as soon as possible'.

Translations

Translations of the word "abbreviate" in other languages:

🇵🇹 abreviar

🇮🇳 संक्षिप्त करना

🇩🇪 abkürzen

🇮🇩 mempersingkat

🇺🇦 скорочувати

🇵🇱 skracać

🇯🇵 省略する (しょうりゃくする)

🇫🇷 abréger

🇪🇸 abreviar

🇹🇷 kısaltmak

🇰🇷 줄이다

🇸🇦 اختصر

🇨🇿 zkrátit

🇸🇰 skrátiť

🇨🇳 缩写 (suōxiě)

🇸🇮 skrajšati

🇮🇸 stytta

🇰🇿 қысқарту

🇬🇪 შემოკლება

🇦🇿 qısaltmaq

🇲🇽 abreviar

Etymology

The word 'abbreviate' comes from the Latin word 'abbreviatus', which is the past participle of 'abbreviare', meaning 'to make brief'. The concept of abbreviation has been used in various languages and writing systems throughout history to save time and space. Abbreviations are commonly used in written communication, especially in technical or scientific fields.

Word Frequency Rank

At rank #29,732, this word represents specialized academic or technical vocabulary. It's less frequently encountered but may be valuable in specific contexts.