| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| abridge (v.), abridged, unabridged (adjs.), abridgment/abridgement (n.) |
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| To abridge something is “to reduce, shorten, or condense it.” Among reference books (especially dictionaries) an abridgment is a shortened version of a longer original work. Abridgment is the object of two frequent lay misunderstandings. First, it is not necessarily a bad thing: it can be well done and for good reason. And, second, an unabridged dictionary is not necessarily a complete record of all the words in the language: it is simply the biggest and most nearly complete dictionary published by a particular publisher. Several abridged editions of various sizes and purposes may be based on it, from collegiate and desk dictionaries to tiny pocket-size spelling aids that may do little or nothing with meanings. Abridgment’s spelling is in divided usage: Americans today slightly prefer the variant without the medial -e-. See SPELLING (1). Compare ACKNOWLEDGMENT; JUDGMENT. See also ABSTRACT (1); ABSTRACT (2). | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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