noun the act of shortening, or reducing.
2. abbreviation ·noun the result of abbreviating; an abridgment.
3. abbreviation ·noun one dash, or more, through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, or demi-semiquavers.
4. abbreviation ·noun 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.