abridgment

== English == === Alternative forms === abridgement === Etymology === First attested in 1494. From Middle English abrygement, from Middle French abrégement. Equivalent to abridge +‎ -ment. === Pronunciation === (US) IPA(key): /əˈbɹɪd͡ʒ.mənt/ === Noun === abridgment (countable and uncountable, plural abridgments) (US) The act of abridging; reduction or deprivation [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).] Synonyms: diminution, lessening, shortening an abridgment of pleasures or of expenses (US) The state of being abridged or lessened. (US) An epitome or compend, as of a book; a shortened or abridged form; an abbreviation. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).] (obsolete) That which abridges or cuts short; hence, an entertainment that makes the time pass quickly (dated, law) Any of various brief statements of case law made before modern reporting of legal cases. (law) The leaving out of certain portions of a plaintiff's demand, the writ still holding good for the remainder. ==== Usage notes ==== In current usage this spelling is about as common as abridgement in the US, but much less common in the UK. Notes on near-synonyms: An abridgment is made by omitting the less important parts of some larger work; as, an abridgment of a dictionary. A compendium is a brief exhibition of a subject, or science, for common use; as, a compendium of American literature. An epitome corresponds to a compendium, and gives briefly the most material points of a subject; as, an epitome of history. An abstract is a brief statement of a thing in its main points. A synopsis is a bird's-eye view of a subject, or work, in its several parts. ==== Synonyms ==== (act of abridging): compendium, epitome, abstract, synopsis, précis ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== abridge ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === “abridgment”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “abridgment”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. “abridgment”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.