shortening

[shawrt-ning, shawr-tn-ing]

noun

1. butter, lard, or other fat, used to make pastry, bread, etc., short.

2. Phonetics.,  the act, process, or an instance of making or becoming short.

3. Linguistics.

   1. the act or process of dropping one or more syllables from a word or phrase to form a shorter word with the same meaning, as in forming piano from pianoforte or phone from telephone.

   2. clipped form.

shortening

/ ˈʃɔːtənɪŋ /

noun

1. butter, lard, or other fat, used in a dough, cake mixture, etc, to make the mixture short

Word History and Origins

Origin of shortening¹

First recorded in 1535–45; shorten + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The Railroad Commission approved the permit without shortening its duration.

From Salon

He has proposed shortening current dietary guidelines from 149 pages to four or five pages that emphasize the importance of eating whole foods, including foods that contain saturated fat, The Washington Post reported.

From Salon

We’re nearly there in our reality, with innovations in artificial intelligence shortening the stretch between our current limitations and a scenario in which a human mind can merge with a mechanical one.

From Salon

Individuals can reduce water waste by changing simple routines: shortening showers or removing lawns.

From Salon

This is all about shortening the process in the hope of cutting the big backlog.

From BBC