- 1vB1
/ˈʃɔːrtn/ · /ˈʃɔːtn/
to make something shorter, or to become shorter.
縮短
過去式 shortened過去分詞 shortened-ing shortening三單 shortens
核心畫面
Picture taking up the hem of a pair of trousers, or a meeting that was going to run two hours finishing in one. Something had a length — in cloth or in time — and that length is reduced. The word works in both directions: you can shorten a thing, or a thing can shorten by itself.
可以想成：把褲腳改短，或是本來要開兩小時的會一小時就結束。某樣東西原本有一個長度——布的長度或時間的長度——現在這個…更多收起
可以想成：把褲腳改短，或是本來要開兩小時的會一小時就結束。某樣東西原本有一個長度——布的長度或時間的長度——現在這個長度變小了。這個字兩邊都能用：可以是你把它弄短（及物），也可以是它自己變短（不及物），例如冬天 The days are shortening（白天愈來愈短）。字尾 -en 在英文裡常表示「使…變成」，像 widen、soften 都是同一組。原始詞典資料10 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
Shortenname
- 1
A surname.
shortenverb/ˈʃɔːtn̩/
- 1
To make shorter; to abbreviate.
- York came round to our heads and shortened the rein himself, one hole I think; every little makes a difference, be it for better or worse, and that day we had a steep hill to go up.
- The full title of the unified system, the South Eastern & London, Chatham & Dover Railways, was decidedly cumbersome, and for the sake of convenience was shortened to the South Eastern & Chatham Railway.
- 2
To become shorter.
- 3
To make deficient (as to); to deprive (of).
- Spoiled of his nose, and shorten'd of his ears.
- 4
To make short or friable, as pastry, with butter, lard, etc.
- 5
To reduce or diminish in amount, quantity, or extent; to lessen.
- to shorten an allowance of food
- Here, where the subject is so fruitful, I am shortened by my chain.
- 6
bakingcookingfoodTo make crumbly.
- Corn flour makes delicious pie crust, and needs less lard to shorten it.
- 7
nauticaltransportTo take in the slack of (a rope).
- 8
nauticaltransportTo reduce (sail) by taking it in.
另外 1 個記錄的用法
- 9
datedto dress (a baby) in a short (rather than long) gown
- Anne and Leslie had another cry the next week when they shortened Little Jem. Anne felt the tragedy of it until evening when in his long nightie she found her own dear baby again.
- In January Jims was five months old and Rilla celebrated the anniversary by shortening him.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。