v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abbreviated; p. pr. & vb. n. Abbreviating. ] [ L. abbreviatus, p. p. of abbreviare; ad + breviare to shorten, fr. brevis short. See Abridge. ] 1. To make briefer; to shorten; to abridge; to reduce by contraction or omission, especially of words written or spoken. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is one thing to abbreviate by contracting, another by cutting off. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Math.) To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. abbreviatus, p. p. ] 1. Abbreviated; abridged; shortened. [ R. ] “The abbreviate form.” Earle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) Having one part relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An abridgment. [ Obs. ] Elyot. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Shortened; relatively short; abbreviate. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. abbreviatio: cf. F. abbréviation. ] 1. The act of shortening, or reducing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The result of abbreviating; an abridgment. Tylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The form to which a word or phrase is reduced by contraction and omission; a letter or letters, standing for a word or phrase of which they are a part; as, Gen. for Genesis; U.S.A. for United States of America. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Mus.) One dash, or more, through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, or demi-semiquavers. Moore. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL.: cf. F. abbréviateur. ] 1. One who abbreviates or shortens. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One of a college of seventy-two officers of the papal court whose duty is to make a short minute of a decision on a petition, or reply of the pope to a letter, and afterwards expand the minute into official form. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Serving or tending to abbreviate; shortening; abridging. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. An abbreviation; an abbreviated state or form. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An abridgment; a compendium or abstract. [ 1913 Webster ]

This is an excellent abbreviature of the whole duty of a Christian. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Breviaries [ F. bréviarie, L. breviarium summary, abridgment, neut. noun fr. breviarius abridged, fr. brevis short. See Brief, and cf. Brevier. ] 1. An abridgment; a compend; an epitome; a brief account or summary. [ 1913 Webster ]

A book entitled the abridgment or breviary of those roots that are to be cut up or gathered. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A book containing the daily public or canonical prayers of the Roman Catholic or of the Greek Church for the seven canonical hours, namely, matins and lauds, the first, third, sixth, and ninth hours, vespers, and compline; -- distinguished from the missal. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. breviatus, p. p. of breviare to shorten, brevis short. ] 1. A short compend; a summary; a brief statement. [ 1913 Webster ]

I omit in this breviate to rehearse. Hakluyt. [ 1913 Webster ]

The same little breviates of infidelity have . . . been published and dispersed with great activity. Bp. Porteus. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A lawyer's brief. [ R. ] Hudibras. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To abbreviate. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An abbreviature; an abbreviation. [ Obs. ] Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Prob. from being originally used in printing a breviary. See Breviary. ] (Print.) A size of type between bourgeois and minion. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ This line is printed in brevier type. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. breviloquentia. ] A brief and pertinent mode of speaking. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. brevis short + pes, pedis, foot: cf. F. brévipède. ] (Zool.) Having short legs. -- n. A breviped bird. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. brevis short + penna wing: cf. F. brévipenne. ] (Zool.) A brevipennate bird. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. brevis short + E. pennate. ] (Zool.) Short-winged; -- applied to birds which can not fly, owing to their short wings, as the ostrich, cassowary, and emu. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. brevis short + E. rostral, rostrate. ] (Zool.) Short-billed; having a short beak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Brevities [ L. brevitas, fr. brevis short: cf. F. brièvité. See Brief. ] 1. Shortness of duration; briefness of time; as, the brevity of human life. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Contraction into few words; conciseness. [ 1913 Webster ]

Brevity is the soul of wit. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

This argument is stated by St. John with his usual elegant brevity and simplicity. Bp. Porteus. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Shortness; conciseness; succinctness; terseness. [ 1913 Webster ]