Shorten
/ˈʃɔːr.tən/noun
To make or become shorter in length, duration, or extent.
Did you know?Shorten comes from the same deep Germanic root as short, and its history shows how English turns a simple size-word into a verb of reduction and control.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sker-
“to cut”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skurtaz
“short, cut off”
Old English
OE
sceortian
“to become short; to shorten”
Middle English
ME
shortnen
“to make shorter”
Modern English
English
shorten
“to make shorter in length or duration”