Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Old French abreger, from Latin abbreviō.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /aˈbrɛd͡ʒən/, /aˈbrid͡ʒən/

Verb

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abreggen (third-person singular simple present abreggeth, present participle abreggende, abreggynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle abregged)

  1. To lessen (either quantity or amount).
  2. To shorten or reduce in duration or time.
    • a. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Knight's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, lines 2999–3000:
      Al mowe they yet tho dayes wel abregge, / Ther nedeth noght noon auctoritee t'allegge
      Though they could potentially make those days shorter, / No authority is needed to assert that []
  3. To abridge or condense; to make into less words.
  4. To palliate, mitigate, or ameliorate; to make less dire.
  5. To terminate, stop, or block; to cause the end of.
  6. (rare) To restrict one's rights or privileges.
  7. (rare) To lessen in length or distance.
  8. (rare) To change to take less time.
  9. (rare) To release from something.

Conjugation

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Descendants

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  • English: abridge

References

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