A Short List of Synonyms for Shorten

A Short List of Synonyms for Shorten A Short List of Synonyms for Shorten A Short List of Synonyms for Shorten By Mark Nichol Shorten is a serviceable word for describing how to reduce the extent or length of something, but some synonyms are available to use in its place. Abbreviate stems ultimately from the Latin verb abbreviare, the root of which is from brevis, meaning â€Å"short†- the same word from which brevity (â€Å"briefness†) and brief are derived. Abridge, which has nothing to do with bridges (it has the same origin as abbreviate), is often used in the sense of diminishing effect or strength or shortening a written compensation by excising parts. To curtail is to limit or reduce as if by cutting (its obsolete predecessor, curtal, referred to cutting an animal’s tail short); its derivation is curtus, Latin for â€Å"short†- which came to be used in English as curt, an adjective usually applied to a brusque statement. Truncate is ultimately from the Latin word truncus, the source of trunk (as well as truncheon- the original term for a billy club- and the rare word obtruncate, which means â€Å"cut the top from†). The original sense is an adjective meaning â€Å"with square or even leaves†- leaves that appear to have been artificially shortened and straightened. Elide means â€Å"omit†; it usually pertains to removing a letter, word, or phrase from a document but also has a general sense of â€Å"shorten†; the noun form is elision. Syncopate means â€Å"cut short,† but it also applies to the linguistic process of syncope, in which part of a word is elided, as in g’day for â€Å"good day.† It’s also the verb form of syncopation, which refers to music rhythm based on giving stress to weak rather than strong beats. There is also a group of short words- often, in their pronunciation, suggestive of abrupt action- that refer to cutting something short, including bob, chop, clip, crop, cut, dock, lop, and snip. Other terms referring to cutting, often in reference to vegetation, include mow, pare, prune, and trim; shave and shear are similar. Prà ©cis, a noun referring to shortening or condensing (from French, and the ancestor of precise), is also a verb; other terms are compress and contract, as well as condense and its close synonym digest (from the sense of the word, also associated with assimilating food into the body, of arranging and dividing). To abstract, profile, and summarize are similar actions, though they involve outlining content rather than reducing its length. Likewise, to epitomize is to serve as an example rather than to actually reduce. Shrinking, meanwhile, involves literally reducing in size rather than abbreviating. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Exquisite AdjectivesExcited ABOUT, not "for" Educational vs. Educative

Hahn Surname Meaning and Family History

Hahn Surname Meaning and Family History From the Middle High German han or hane meaning cock or rooster, Hahn was originally a nickname for a proud, cocky individual. Alternate Surname Spellings:  HAHNE, HAHNN, HAHEN, HAHENN, HAAHN, HAAHNN Surname Origin: German, Jewish Where in the World is the HAHN  Surname Found? According to surname distribution data from Forebears, the Hahn surname is found most prevalently in Germany, where it ranks 45th in the nation, followed by South Korea (96th) and Austria (158th). Within Germany, according to WorldNames PublicProfiler, Hahn is most common in Sachsen, Hessen, and Rheinland-Pfalz. Surname  distribution maps at  verwandt.de  show the  Hahn surname is  found in 439 cities and counties throughout Germany, most prevalently in Berlin, Hamburg,  Mà ¼nchen, Esslingen, Hannover, Gießen, Frankfurt am Main,  Kà ¶ln, Rems-Murr-Kreis, and  Nà ¼rnberg. Famous People with the HAHN Surname: Otto Hahn -  Nobel Prize-winning German scientist who discovered nuclear fission and the element protactiniumAugust Hahn - German protestant theologianCarl Wilhelm Hahn - German zoologistPhilipp Matthus Hahn  - German priest and inventorErwin L. Hahn - U.S. physicist Genealogy Resources for the Surname HAHN: Meanings of Common German SurnamesUncover the meaning of your German last name with this free guide to the meanings and origins of common German surnames. Hahn  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Hahn  family crest or coat of arms for the Hahn surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. Hahn Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Hahn surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Hahn surname query. DistantCousin.com - HAHN Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Hahn. The Hahn Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Hahn surname from the website of Genealogy Today. - References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.