3. To make deficient (as to); to deprive; — with of.
Spoiled of his nose, and shortened of his ears.
Dryden. 4. To make short or friable, as pastry, with butter, lard, pot liquor, or the like.
To shorten a rope (Naut.),
to take in the slack of it. — To shorten sail (Naut.), to reduce sail by
taking it in.
Shorten
(Short"en), v. i. To become short or shorter; as, the day shortens in northern latitudes from
June to December; a metallic rod shortens by cold.
Shortener
(Short"en*er) n. One who, or that which, shortens.
Shortening
(Short"en*ing), n.
1. The act of making or becoming short or shorter.
2. (Cookery) That which renders pastry short or friable, as butter, lard, etc.
Shorthand
(Short"hand`) n. A compendious and rapid method or writing by substituting characters,
abbreviations, or symbols, for letters, words, etc.; short writing; stenography. See Illust. under Phonography.
Short-handed
(Short`-hand"ed), a. Short of, or lacking the regular number of, servants or helpers.
Shorthead
(Short"head`) n. A sucking whale less than one year old; — so called by sailors.
Shorthorn
(Short"horn`) a. One of a breed of large, heavy domestic cattle having short horns. The
breed was developed in England.
Short-jointed
(Short"-joint`ed) a. Having short intervals between the joints; — said of a plant or an animal,
especially of a horse whose pastern is too short.
Short-lived
(Short"-lived`) a. Not living or lasting long; being of short continuance; as, a short-lived race
of beings; short-lived pleasure; short-lived passion.
Shortly
(Short"ly), adv. [AS. sceortlice.]
1. In a short or brief time or manner; soon; quickly. Chaucer.
I shall grow jealous of you shortly.
Shak.
The armies came shortly in view of each other.
Clarendon. 2. In few words; briefly; abruptly; curtly; as, to express ideas more shortly in verse than in prose.
Shortness
(Short"ness), n. The quality or state of being short; want of reach or extension; brevity; deficiency; as,
the shortness of a journey; the shortness of the days in winter; the shortness of an essay; the shortness
of the memory; a shortness of provisions; shortness of breath.
Shortsighted
(Short"sight`ed) a.
1. Not able to see far; nearsighted; myopic. See Myopic, and Myopia.
2. Fig.: Not able to look far into futurity; unable to understand things deep; of limited intellect.
3. Having little regard for the future; heedless.