Abridgement

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈbɹɪd͡ʒ.mənt/

Definitions

1. A reduction of a written work that retains its primary themes and ideas, providing a briefer version that is still comprehensible and valuable
2. The process of condensing a text while ensuring that its main points and overall message are kept intact and accessible
3. A shortened form of a literary or scholarly piece that preserves its essential themes and arguments while condensing the overall length for easier consumption

Etymology: "Abridgement" is a plain English formation: the verb "abridge" with the suffix "-ment" added to it. "Abridge" came into English through Middle English from Old French, where words built on "-ment" were very common, and the suffix itself traces back through Latin "-mentum" to a much older Indo-European root meaning something like "means" or "result of an action." So the suffix tells you the word names the product of an action: an abridgement is the result of abridging. The verb behind it, "abridge," means to shorten or cut down, and that sense carries straight into the noun. An abridgement is therefore a shortened version of a text that keeps its main ideas intact, rather than a summary that drops them. The word is a good example of how English builds nouns for results from verbs, a pattern it has used since the Middle English period.

Synonyms: summary, condensation, reduction, compendium, digest

Antonyms: expansion, enlargement, addition, augmentation, increase