ab|bre|vi|a|tion

ab|bre|vi|a|tion «uh _BREE vee AY shuhn», noun.

1. a shortened form: a) a part of a word or phrase standing for the whole: »

“Dr.” is an abbreviation for “Doctor.”

An abbreviation may be the initial letter of a word (»

a. for acre

), the initial letters of the words of a phrase (»

A.A.U.P. for American Association of University Professors

), the first and last letters of a word (»

ft. for foot or feet

), or the first part of a word (»

Esq. for Esquire

). b) a shortened form based on substitution (»

d. for penny, Latin, denarius

). Abbr: abbr.

2. a making briefer. SYNONYM(S): condensation, abridgment.

3. any method of musical notation indicating the repetition of certain notes or passages without writing them out in full.