Thursday

Word Shortening–Clipping

word_cut
Clipping a word means to take away one or more syllables from a word. These types of words are most commonly used in informal English. The part of the word that is subtracted can be at the beginning or at the end of a word. Usually this occurs with longer words so that speaking can be done at a more efficient pace. Here is a list of examples of the more common clipped words used in English.
 
  • phone - telephone
  • plane – airplane
  • photo - photograph
  • math - mathematics
  • gym - gymnasium
  • piano - pianoforte
  • sax - saxophone
  • fax - facsimile
  • flu - influenza
  • fridge – refrigerator
  • gent – gentleman
  • burger – hamburger
  • auto – automobile
  • biz – business
  • celeb – celebrity
  • deli – delicatessen
  • exam – examination
  • gator – alligator
  • hippo – hippopotamus
  • hood – neighborhood
  • info – information
  • intro – introduction
  • lab – laboratory
  • limo – limousine
  • mayo – mayonnaise
  • max - maximum
  • perm – permanent
  • ref - referee
  • rhino – rhinoceros
  • reps – repetitions
  • demo – demonstration
  • stats – statistics
  • temp – temperature
  • specs – spectacles
  • tux – tuxedo
  • ump – umpire
  • vet - veterinarian
  • vet – veteran
  • pants – pantaloons
  • dorm – dormitory
  • prom – promenade
  • fan - fanatic
  • ad – advertisement
  • bike – bicycle
  • lunch – luncheon
  • memo – memorandum
  • typo – typographical error
  • chute – parachute
  • gas – gasoline
  • doc – doctor
  • pro – professional
  • piano – pianoforte
  • condo – condominium
  • chimp – chimpanzee
  • champ – champion
  • con – convict
  • mic – microphone
  • tie - necktie
 
These are just a few, there are many many more. If you’re interested in learning more, search the internet for clipped words or shortened words. It might also be interesting for you to know that the same thing is done with proper names, such as Betty, Beth, Liz for Elizabeth or Dave for David. You can also find these with an online search for clipped names, shortened proper names or nicknames.
As always, feel free to leave a comment, suggestion or email me.
Have a great day!

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