shorten

name

1. A surname.

verb

Etymology: From Middle English shortnen, schortenen, equivalent to short + -en (verbal suffix). In some senses, a continuation (in altered form) of Middle English schorten (“to make short, shorten”), from Old English sċortian (“to become short”), from Proto-Germanic *skurtōną (“to shorten”).

1. To make shorter; to abbreviate.

   “York came round to our heads and shortened the rein himself, one hole I think; every little makes a difference, be it for better or worse, and that day we had a steep hill to go up.”

   “The full title of the unified system, the South Eastern & London, Chatham & Dover Railways, was decidedly cumbersome, and for the sake of convenience was shortened to the South Eastern & Chatham Railway.”

2. To become shorter.
3. To make deficient (as to); to deprive (of).

   “Spoiled of his nose, and shorten'd of his ears.”

4. To make short or friable, as pastry, with butter, lard, etc.
5. To reduce or diminish in amount, quantity, or extent; to lessen.

   “to shorten an allowance of food”

   “Here, where the subject is so fruitful, I am shortened by my chain.”

6. To make crumbly.

   “Corn flour makes delicious pie crust, and needs less lard to shorten it.”

7. To take in the slack of (a rope).
8. To reduce (sail) by taking it in.
9. to dress (a baby) in a short (rather than long) gown

   “Anne and Leslie had another cry the next week when they shortened Little Jem. Anne felt the tragedy of it until evening when in his long nightie she found her own dear baby again.”

   “In January Jims was five months old and Rilla celebrated the anniversary by shortening him.”