Shorten

Shorten is primarily a verb meaning to reduce something in length, duration, amount, or extent. It can refer to making physical objects smaller, shortening a measurement or time interval, or trimming content to be more concise. The word is formed from the adjective short plus the suffix -en, and it has roots in Old English with cognates in other Germanic languages.

The noun form shortening has two common senses. First, shortening denotes the act or process of making something shorter, such as in editing a text or trimming a procedure. Second, in cooking, shortening refers to a fat used in baking and pastry to produce a crumbly, tender texture by limiting gluten development.

Uses of shorten span several domains. In writing and editing, to shorten a passage means to remove unnecessary words, condense ideas, or reduce length while preserving meaning. In time management and project planning, shortening a deadline or schedule implies shaving off minutes, hours, or days. In garment care and tailoring, one might shorten sleeves, hems, or other lengths of fabric to achieve a proper fit. In film and audio production, shortening a clip or track involves trimming frames or sections to fit a desired duration. In computing, the term may informally describe truncating or trimming data strings.

Related terms include lengthen, extend, abridge, truncate, and condense. Shorten emphasizes reducing existing length rather than adding material, with broad applicability across editing, manufacturing, tailoring, and communication.