shorten

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈʃɔrtən/ UK /ˈʃɔːtən/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to make or become shorter in length, duration, or extent

They shortened the meeting to leave time for lunch.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make or become shorter... abbreviate abridge curtail truncate reduce trim

Opposites

lengthen extend prolong elongate

Word family

Derived forms shortenedshortening

Related forms short shortness

Etymology

From short plus the verb-forming suffix -en; short is from Old English sceort ('short'), from Proto-Germanic *skurtaz.

sceort Old English *skurtaz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# shorten

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈʃɔrtən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈʃɔːtən/

## Meanings
1. to make or become shorter in length, duration, or extent

## Examples
- They shortened the meeting to leave time for lunch.

## Synonyms
- abbreviate
- abridge
- curtail
- truncate
- reduce
- trim

## Antonyms
- lengthen
- extend
- prolong
- elongate

## Derived Forms
- shortened
- shortening

## Related Forms
- short
- shortness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: sceort
- Root: *skurtaz

## Etymology
From short plus the verb-forming suffix -en; short is from Old English sceort ('short'), from Proto-Germanic *skurtaz.

## AI Etymology
Shorten comes from short plus the verb-forming suffix -en; short is from Old English sceort ('short'), from Proto-Germanic *skurtaz. The suffix is part of the word's derivational shape, marking the final grammatical or semantic role while the base supplies the central meaning. As a verb, it means "to make or become shorter in length, duration, or extent", so the modern sense keeps the older action or relation visible. Relevant historical forms include Old English sceort and Proto-Germanic *skurtaz. Derivative forms include shortened, shortening; related words include short, shortness.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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