Pref

/prɛf/ noun

Definition

An informal abbreviation for 'preference' or 'preferred'. Often used in casual speech or writing to indicate a choice or priority.

Etymology

Modern abbreviation of 'preference', first appearing in the mid-20th century as informal shorthand. Follows the common English pattern of creating abbreviated forms by truncating longer words, similar to 'prof' for professor or 'ref' for referee.

Kelly Says

Pref represents our eternal quest for linguistic efficiency - humans naturally compress frequently used words into shorter forms. It's fascinating how these casual abbreviations often become so established that they feel like words in their own right, showing language's constant evolution toward economy of expression.

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