Abbreviation vs. Shorthand — What's the Difference?

An abbreviation (from Latin brevis, meaning short) is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word abbreviation can itself be represented by the abbreviation abbr., abbrv., or abbrev.; NPO, for nil (or nothing) per (by) os (mouth) is an abbreviated medical instruction.

Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed and brevity of writing as compared to longhand, a more common method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek stenos (narrow) and graphein (to write).

The act or product of shortening.

A system of rapid handwriting employing symbols to represent words, phrases, and letters.

A shortened form of a word or phrase used chiefly in writing to represent the complete form, such as Mass. for Massachusetts or USMC for United States Marine Corps.

A system, form, or instance of abbreviated or formulaic reference

The result of shortening or reducing; abridgment.

A rough and rapid method of writing by substituting symbols for letters, words, etc.

(linguistics) A shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase, used to represent the whole, utilizing omission of letters, and sometimes substitution of letters, or duplication of initial letters to signify plurality, including signs such as +, =, @.

(by extension) Any brief or shortened way of saying or doing something.

The process of abbreviating.

(transitive) To render (spoken or written words) into shorthand.

(music) A notation used in music score to denote a direction, as pp or mf.

To use a brief or shortened way of saying or doing something.

(music) One or more dashes through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, demisemiquavers, or hemidemisemiquavers.

(intransitive) To write in shorthand.

Any convenient short form used as a substitution for an understood or inferred whole.

A compendious and rapid method or writing by substituting characters, abbreviations, or symbols, for letters, words, etc.; short writing; stenography. See Illust. under Phonography.

(biology) Loss during evolution of the final stages of the ancestral ontogenetic pattern.

A method of writing rapidly

(mathematics) Reduction to lower terms, as a fraction.

Written in abbreviated or symbolic form;

The act of shortening, or reducing.

The result of abbreviating; an abridgment.

The form to which a word or phrase is reduced by contraction and omission; a letter or letters, standing for a word or phrase of which they are a part; as, Gen. for Genesis; U.S.A. for United States of America.

One dash, or more, through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, or demi-semiquavers.

A shortened form of a word or phrase

Shortening something by omitting parts of it