also 5–7 abreviacioun, -ation. [a. Fr. abréviation, ad. L. abbreviātiōn-em, n. of action, f. abbreviā-re: see ABBREVIATE. The prefix in Fr. a- has been refashioned, after L., to ab-.]
1. The act of shortening, reducing in length.
1530. Palsgr., 193 Abrevyation, abreviation.
1576. Lambarde, Peramb. Kent, 233 (1826). Neither hath this our manner of abbreviation, corrupted the names of townes and places onely.
c. 1590. Horsey, Travels (Hakl. Soc.), 156. With som small abreviacion and pronunciacion it [the Russian language] coms near the Polish.
1605. Timme, Quersitanus, III. 164. We come … to the causes of the conseruation, prolongation, destruction, and abreuiation of our life.
1824. Southey, Book of the Church, I. 311. They might purchase a free passage through Purgatory, or at least, an abbreviation of the term.
2. The result of abbreviating; an abbreviated or reduced form; short summary, abridgment.
1460. Capgrave, Chron., 17. Of these thre sones grew al mankynde in this world, and be what order here schul ȝe have abreviacioun.
1589. Nashe, Dedic. to Brune’s Menaphon (1880), 12. And heere could I enter into a large fielde of invective against our abject Abbreviations of Artes.
1791. Boswell, Johnson (1831), I. 180. Johnson’s abbreviations are all distinct and applicable to each subject.
1865. E. B. Tylor, Early Hist. Man., iii. 52. To make a sort of abbreviation of this movement.
3. esp. A shortened form of a spoken word, or written symbol; a part of a word or symbol standing for the whole.
1727. Swift, Letter on Eng., Wks. 1755, II. I. 188. Most of the books we see now-a-days are full of those manglings and abbreviations.
1855. Thackeray, Newcomes (1872), iv. 35. Smiffle, it must be explained, is a fond abbreviation for Smithfield.
1876. Freeman, Norm. Conq., I. App. 547. The latter form is clearly a mere abbreviation.
