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To make shorter; to shorten in duration; to lessen; to diminish; to curtail; as, to abridge labor; to abridge power or rights. "The bridegroom . . . abridged his visit." Smollett. She retired herself to Sebaste, and abridged her train from state to necessity. Fuller.

An epitome or compend, as of a book; a shortened or abridged form; an abbreviation. Ancient coins as abridgments of history. Addison.

Having no stem or caulis, or only a very short one concealed in the ground. Gray.

moon's mean motion in its orbit, in consequence of which its period of revolution is now shorter than in ancient times. -- Acceleration and retardation of the tides. See Priming of the tides, under Priming. -- Diurnal acceleration of the fixed stars, the amount by which their apparent diurnal motion exceeds that of…

A short grace note, one semitone below the note to which it is prefixed; -- used especially in organ music. Now used as equivalent to the short appoggiatura.

A short sword or saber.

, or more than slight or superficial, knowledge; personal knowledge gained by intercourse short of that of friendship or intimacy; as, I know the man; but have no acquaintance with him. Contract no friendship, or even acquaintance, with a guileful man. Sir W. Jones.

ing; consequent. Though that my death were adjunct to my act. Shak. Adjunct notes (Mus.), short notes between those essential to the harmony; auxiliary notes; passing notes.

An instrument to measure the degree of sensation, by determining at how short a distance two impressions upon the skin can be distinguished, and thus to determine whether the condition of tactile sensibility is normal or altered.

n, by some supposed to have been the progenitors of the Japanese. The Ainos are stout and short, with hairy bodies.

A walk or a ride in the open air; a short excursion for health's sake.

To; at; on; -- in OF. shortened to a-. See Ad-.

Shortened forms of Alcoholate.

A large carnivorous reptile of the Crocodile family, peculiar to America. It has a shorter and broader snout than the crocodile, and the large teeth of the lower jaw shut into pits in the upper jaw, which has no marginal notches. Besides the common species of the southern United States, there are allied species in Sout…

ame letter at the beginning of two or more words immediately succeeding each other, or at short intervals; as in the following lines: - Behemoth, biggest born of earth, upheaved His vastness. Milton. Fly o'er waste fens and windy fields. Tennyson.

y, as of food or drink; hence, a limited quantity of meat and drink, when provisions fall short. I can give the boy a handsome allowance. Thackeray.

(Now heard only in the prep. phrase along of.) Along of, Along on, often shortened to Long of, prep. phr., owing to; on account of. [Obs. or Low. Eng.] "On me is not along thin evil fare." Chaucer. "And all this is long of you." Shak. "This increase of price is all along of the foreigners." London Punch.…

A foot of three syllables, the middle one long, the first and last short (as, h. In modern prosody the accented syllable takes the place of the long and the unaccented of the short; as, pro-phet''ic.

A foot of three syllables, the middle one short and the others long, as in cast. Andrews.

A metrical foot consisting of three syllables, the first two short, or unaccented, the last long, or accented; the reverse of the dactyl. In Latin d, and in English in-ter-vene, are examples of anapests.