Foreshorten

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To depict an item in a way that makes it seem less lengthy than its true size while providing a sense of depth in representation
2. To create a visual representation that reduces the apparent length of an object while enhancing the perception of spatial depth
3. To represent an object so that its length appears compressed to create a three-dimensional effect

Etymology: "Foreshorten" is about as transparent as English compounds get: "fore-" meaning "before" or "in front," plus "shorten." The same "fore-" appears in "foresee," "foretell," and "forehead," all of which point to something placed ahead of something else. The "fore-" element traces back through Old English and Proto-Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "before" or "in front," so the word's parts carry the sense of "shorten in front," which is exactly what happens in a perspective drawing. When an artist draws a limb or object pointing toward the viewer, the parts nearest the eye appear larger and the far end seems to recede and shrink. The drawing has to compress the actual length of that object so it looks convincing on the flat page. "Foreshorten" names that technique: making a form look shorter than it really is, in order to show it extending toward or away from the viewer.

Synonyms: shorten, compress