[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

abbreviate \abbre"viate\ a^bbr=e"vi^=at, v. t.
   imp.  p. p. abbreviated; p. pr.  vb. n. abbreviating.
   l. abbreviatus, p. p. of abbreviare; ad + breviare to
   shorten, fr. brevis short. see abridge.
   1. to make briefer; to shorten; to abridge; to reduce by
      contraction or omission, especially of words written or
      spoken.
      1913 webster

            it is one thing to abbreviate by contracting,
            another by cutting off.               --bacon.
      1913 webster

   2. math. to reduce to lower terms, as a fraction.
      1913 webster
see also:
abbreviated abbreviating abridge 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

abbreviate \abbre"viate\ a^bbr=e"vi^aslt, a. l.
   abbreviatus, p. p.
   1. abbreviated; abridged; shortened. r. "the abbreviate
      form." --earle.
      1913 webster

   2. biol. having one part relatively shorter than another or
      than the ordinary type.
      1913 webster

[3] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

abbreviate \abbre"viate\, n.
   an abridgment. obs. --elyot.
   1913 webster

[4] : WordNet (r) 2.0

abbreviate
     v 1: shorten; "abbreviate `new york' and write `ny'"
     2: reduce in scope while retaining essential elements; "the
        manuscript must be shortened" syn: abridge, foreshorten,
         shorten, cut, contract, reduce ant: elaborate
see also:
abridge foreshorten shorten cut contract reduce 
elaborate 

[5] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

88 moby thesaurus words for "abbreviate":
   abridge, abstract, attenuate, be telegraphic, blot out,
   blue-pencil, bob, boil down, bowdlerize, cancel, capsulize, censor,
   circumscribe, clip, coarct, compact, compress, concentrate,
   condense, consolidate, constrict, constringe, contract, cramp,
   crop, cross out, curtail, cut, cut back, cut down, cut off short,
   cut short, decrease, delete, dock, draw, draw in, draw together,
   edit, edit out, elide, epitomize, erase, expunge, expurgate,
   extenuate, foreshorten, kill, knit, mow, narrow, nip, omit, poll,
   pollard, prune, pucker, pucker up, purse, reap, recap,
   recapitulate, reduce, rescind, retrench, rub out, shave, shear,
   shorten, slash, snub, solidify, strangle, strangulate, strike,
   strike off, strike out, stunt, sum up, summarize, synopsize,
   take in, telescope, trim, truncate, void, waste no words,
   wrinkle

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