Shortenings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act or process of making something shorter in length or duration
2. Abbreviations or reductions of words or phrases to facilitate quicker communication
3. The practice in linguistics of truncating words to form more concise versions

Etymology: The noun in question is a plural form derived from the base verb "shorten," which itself entered English in the late Middle Ages. "Shorten" comes from the Old English "sceortnian," meaning to make short, which is related to "sceort," the adjective for short. This verb formed naturally by adding the suffix "-en," a common way in English to create verbs from adjectives, indicating the action of making or becoming. The plural form of a noun ending in "-ing" typically arises when an action or process, originally expressed as a gerund or verbal noun, is conceptualized as a countable entity. In the case of this word, it refers to multiple instances or types of the act of making something shorter. The suffix "-ing" here transforms the verb into a noun that describes the action or result, and adding "-s" pluralizes it, allowing speakers to refer to various examples or methods of reduction in length. This formation is straightforward and follows regular English morphological patterns rather than arising from a specific historical event or coinage. Its usage likely became more common as the need to discuss different kinds of abridgments, abbreviations, or reductions in length appeared, such as in editing texts, tailoring garments, or even in informal speech about shortening words, phrases, or objects. Overall, the word’s history is a typical example of English’s flexibility in turning verbs into nouns with "-ing" and then pluralizing to discuss multiple instances, reflecting the language’s adaptability rather than a unique origin story.

Synonyms: abbreviations, reductions, contractions, truncations, cutbacks

Antonyms: expansions, extensions, increases, prolongations, enlargements