abbreviation

/əˈbriviˌeɪʃən/

/əbriviˈeɪʃən/

Other forms: abbreviations

Abbreviation is the process of shortening something, usually a word or phrase, or the shortened version itself. “Mr.” is the abbreviation of “mister,” NASA is the abbreviation of National Aeronautics and Space Administration, etc. (hey, that's an abbreviation too).

There are different types of abbreviations. Some are followed by a period (.) to show that the word has been shortened. Initialisms and acronyms like DNA, SAT, NATO, and SCOTUS, which are abbreviations that are formed from the first letters of a series of words, are written in all capitals. And don’t get confused: if your friend asks to give you an abbreviation of his speech, he’s not going to shorten each word; he’s just going to leave the details out.

Definitions of abbreviation

1. noun

   shortening something by omitting parts of it
   type of:

   shortening

   act of decreasing in length
2. noun

   a shortened form of a word or phrase
   types:

   apocope

   abbreviation of a word by omitting the final sound or sounds

   type of:

   descriptor, form, signifier, word form

   the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something