A shortened form of a word or phrase, like 'Dr.' for 'Doctor' or 'etc.' for 'et cetera'; using fewer letters or words to represent something longer.
From Latin 'abbreviare' (to shorten), combining 'ad-' (to) and 'brevis' (short). The word entered English in the 1300s as scribes needed ways to write faster and save expensive parchment.
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