Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

foreshorten

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: fore-short-en
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To render the image of an object such that it appears to be receding in space as it is perceived visually.

verb

To abridge, reduce, contract.

verb

To make shorter.

Example Sentences

"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."
"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"

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.

Inflected Forms

foreshortens (present, singular) foreshortening (participle, present) foreshortened (participle, past) foreshortened (past)

Derived Forms

foreshortener unforeshortened

Synonyms

abase abate belittle besmall bring down embase cut decrease decrement diminish foreshorten lessen

Questions

What does foreshorten mean?: To render the image of an object such that it appears to be receding in space as it is perceived visually.
Where does foreshorten come from?: 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.

How to pronounce foreshorten

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “foreshorten”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “foreshorten”.
Repeat and practice — Say “foreshorten” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.