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.
Texting invented 'need to abbreviate' all over again—LOL, FOMO, and BRB recreate what medieval monks did: abbreviate to save space and time. It's hilarious that we invented a 'new' language feature that's literally thousands of years old, just digital instead of on vellum.
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