- Today's Word
Abridge
[uh-BRIJ]
Definition
- (verb) To shorten or condense something, typically a written work, while maintaining its core essence and meaning. It involves reducing the length of something without losing its essential content or main ideas.
Example
The publisher decided to abridge the lengthy historical novel for younger readers, cutting it from 800 pages to a more manageable 300 while preserving the main plot and key characters.
Fun Fact
“Abridge” comes from the Old French “abregier,” which derives from the Latin “abbreviare,” meaning “to make brief.” In medieval monasteries, the practice of abridging texts was considered a specialized art form. Monk-scribes were specifically trained in the skill of “abbreviatura” – the ability to shorten texts while preserving their meaning. This was particularly important when parchment was scarce and expensive. Interestingly, in the Middle Ages, there was a specific profession called an “abbreviator” at the papal court, whose job was to abridge official documents and papal bulls. These abbreviators developed a complex system of shorthand symbols called “notae,” some of which evolved into modern abbreviation conventions. The word gained renewed importance during the printing revolution of the 15th century, when printers needed to create condensed versions of books to make them more affordable for the general public. This practice led to the development of the first “Reader’s Digest” style publications, which specialized in abridged versions of longer works.
(adjective) Deliberately untrustworthy and deceitful; guilty of betraying trust or breaking faith.
The perfidious advisor had been leaking confidential strategy to competitors for years, all while accepting promotions and praise from the company he was quietly destroying.
Perfidious derives from the Latin perfidiosus, meaning “treacherous,” rooted in perfidia — “faithlessness” — built from per- (“through” or “away”) and fides (“faith” or “trust”). The same root fides gives us fidelity, confide, and fiduciary — making perfidious the dark twin of an entire family of words built on trust and loyalty. It entered English in the 16th century and has carried its sense of calculated, deliberate betrayal ever since.