əˈbrij transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English abregen, abriggen, from Middle French abregier, from Late Latin abbreviare, from Latin ad- + breviare to shorten, from brevis short — more at brief
1.
a. archaic : deprive — usually used with of
abridge a man of his rights
b. : to diminish (as a right) by reducing
the danger of abridging the liberties of the people — Abraham Lincoln
2. : to shorten in duration
I have other reasons for abridging my stay at Bath — Tobias Smollett
: shorten or cut down in extent
the airplane abridges distance
abridge library service during the summer
3. : to shorten by omission of words without sacrifice of principal meaning : condense
an abridged version of the novel
Synonyms: see shorten