Dictionary

foreshorten en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂-der. Proto-Indo-European *pr̥h₂éy Proto-Germanic *furai Proto-Germanic *furai- Proto-West Germanic *forē- Old English fore- Middle English fore- English fore- English shorten English foreshorten From fore- + shorten.

Meanings

1. To render the image of an object such that it appears to be receding in space as it is perceived visually.
2. To abridge, reduce, contract.
3. To make shorter.
   • The Californian duo looked and sounded like the kind of band you would have seen being excitedly introduced on The Old Grey Whistle Test in early 1976, only to find their career suddenly foreshortened by the arrival of punk 2017 June 26, Alexis Petridis, “Glastonbury 2017 verdict: Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Lorde, Stormzy and more”, in the Guardian:
   • When the church was demolished it was decided to preserve the chancel, partly for its Montagu monuments and partly to avoid disturbing the remains of the many members of the family who lie in the vaults beneath. The result is a foreshortened building of considerable charm, almost as broad as it is long and with great high windows. 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 51, as an adjective:

Forms

Deriveds

foreshortener · unforeshortened

Synonyms

minimize · diminish · shrink · cut · smallify · reduce · bring down · lessen · abate · abase · decrease · besmall · embase · lower · belittle · lilliputianize · foreshorten · decrement · mince