Abbreviation Meaning
/əˌbɹiː.viˈeɪ.ʃən/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe result of shortening or reducing; abridgment.
nounA shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase used to represent the whole, using omission of letters, and sometimes substitution of letters, or duplication of initial letters to signify plurality, including signs such as +, =, @.
Sentence Examples
We use DS as an abbreviation of 'dyad' style.
"Doc" is an abbreviation of "doctor".
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ 'Dr.' stands for doctor in the English language.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
NASA is an ____ for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Word Origin & History
First attested 1400–50. From Middle English abbreviacioun, from Middle French abreviation, from Ecclesiastical Latin abbreviātiō, from Latin ad + breviō (“shorten”), from brevis (“short”). By surface analysis, abbreviate + -ion.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Americans, for example, call newcomers to Antarctica “fingies”, which comes from FNGs – a borrowed military abbreviation that means “Fucking New Guy”."
— 2024 June 20, Eva Corlett, “Fidlets, fingies and riding a doo: study sheds light on Antarctic English slang”, in The Guardian:
"The phrase "civil rights" is an abbreviation for a whole complex of relationships."
— 1946-1947, Harry S. Truman, President Truman's committee on Civil Rights:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ 'Dr.' stands for doctor in the English language.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
NASA is an ____ for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.