Abbreviated clause

abbreviation (n.) The everyday sense of this term has been refined in LINGUISTICS as part of the study of WORD-FORMATION, distinguishing several ways in which words can be shortened. Initialisms or alphabetisms reflect the separate pronunciation of the initial letters of the constituent words (TV, COD); acronyms are pronounced as single words (NATO, laser); clipped forms or clippings are reductions of longer forms, usually removing the end of the word (ad from advertisement), but sometimes the beginning (plane), or both beginning and ending together (flu); and blends combine parts of two words (sitcom, motel).

abbreviatory (adj.) A term, derived from abbreviation, which appears within LINGUISTICS and PHONETICS as part of the phrase abbreviatory convention – any device used in a formal analysis which allows rules that share common elements to be combined, thus permitting greater economy of statement.