[short] adj [ME, fr. OE sceort; akin to OHG scurz short, ON skortr lack] (bef. 12c) 1 a: having little length b: not tall or high: low
2. a: not extended in time: brief "a ~ vacation" b: not retentive "a ~ memory" c: expeditious, quick "made ~ work of the problem" d: seeming to pass quickly "made great progress in just a few ~ years" 3 a of a speech sound: having a relatively short duration b: being the member of a pair of similarly spelled vowel or vowel-containing sounds that is descended from a vowel that was short in duration but is no longer so and that does not necessarily have duration as its chief distinguishing feature "~ i in sin" c of a syllable in prosody (1): of relatively brief duration (2): unstressed
4: limited in distance "a ~ trip"
5. a: not coming up to a measure or requirement: insufficient "in ~ supply" b: not reaching far enough "the throw to first was ~" c: enduring privation d: insufficiently supplied "~ of cash" "~ on brains"
6. a: abrupt, curt b: quickly provoked 7: choppy
2. 8: payable at an early date
9. a: containing or cooked with shortening; also: flaky "~ pastry" b of metal: brittle under certain conditions
10. a: not lengthy or drawn out b: made briefer: abbreviated 11 a: not having goods or property that one has sold in anticipation of a fall in prices b: consisting of or relating to a sale of securities or commodities that the seller does not possess or has not contracted for at the time of the sale "~ sale" 12: near the end of a tour of duty -- short.ish adj -- in short order : with dispatch: quickly
[2]short adv (14c) 1: in a curt manner
2: for or during a brief time "short-lasting"
3: at a disadvantage: unawares "caught ~"
4: in an abrupt manner: suddenly "the car stopped ~"
5: at some point or degree before a goal or limit aimed at or under consideration "the shells fell ~" "quit a month ~ of graduation"
6: clean across "the axle was snapped ~" 7: by or as if by a short sale [3]short n (ca. 1586) 1: the sum and substance: upshot
2. a: a short syllable b: a short sound or signal 3 pl a: a by-product of wheat milling that includes the germ, fine bran, and some flour b: refuse, clippings, or trimmings discarded in various manufacturing processes
4. a: knee-length or less than knee-length trousers--usu. used in pl. b pl: short drawers c: a size in clothing for short men
5. a: one who operates on the short side of the market b pl: short-term bonds
6. pl: deficiencies 7: short circuit 8: shortstop
9. a: short subject b: a brief story or article (as in a newspaper) -- for short : as an abbreviation "named Katherine or Kate for short" -- in short : by way of summary: briefly [4]short vt (1904) 1: short-circuit
2: shortchange, cheat