different between cram vs shorten

English

Etymology

From Middle English crammen, from Old English crammian (“to cram; stuff”), from Proto-West Germanic *kramm?n, from Proto-Germanic *kramm?n?, a secondary verb derived from *krimman? (“to stuff”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to assemble; collect; gather”). Compare Old English crimman (“to cram; stuff; insert; press; bruise”), Icelandic kremja (“to squeeze; crush; bruise”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?æm/
• Rhymes: -æm

Verb

cram (third-person singular simple present crams, present participle cramming, simple past and past participle crammed)

1. (transitive) To press, force, or drive, particularly in filling, or in thrusting one thing into another; to stuff; to fill to superfluity.
2. (transitive) To fill with food to satiety; to stuff.

3. (transitive) To put hastily through an extensive course of memorizing or study, as in preparation for an examination.

4. (intransitive) To study hard; to swot.
5. (intransitive) To eat greedily, and to satiety; to stuff oneself.
6. (intransitive, dated, British slang) To lie; to intentionally not tell the truth.
7. (transitive, dated, British slang) To make (a person) believe false or exaggerated tales.

Derived terms

• crammable, crammer, cram school, cram-full, cram session

Translations

Noun

cram (countable and uncountable, plural crams)

1. The act of cramming (forcing or stuffing something).
2. Information hastily memorized.

3. (weaving) A warp having more than two threads passing through each dent or split of the reed.
4. (dated, British slang) A lie; a falsehood.
5. (uncountable) A mathematical board game in which players take turns placing dominoes horizontally or vertically until no more can be placed, the loser being the player who cannot continue.
6. A small friendship book with limited space for people to enter their information.
   • 2017, Mark Duffett, Fan Identities and Practices in Context: Dedicated to Music (page 194)

     Regular friendship books had a variety of variations, such as slams, crams, and decos.

Synonyms

• (lie): see Thesaurus:lie

Translations

Anagrams

• MRCA, Marc, macr-, marc, mrca

English

Etymology

From Middle English shortnen, schortenen, equivalent to short +? -en (verbal suffix). In some senses, a continuation (in altered form) of Middle English schorten (“to make short, shorten”), from Old English s?ortian (“to become short”), from Proto-Germanic *skurt?n? (“to shorten”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /????t?n/
• (US) IPA^(key): /????t?n/

Verb

shorten (third-person singular simple present shortens, present participle shortening, simple past and past participle shortened)

1. (transitive) To make shorter; to abbreviate.
   • 1877, Anna Sewell, Black Beauty Chapter 22[1]

     York came round to our heads and shortened the rein himself, one hole I think; every little makes a difference, be it for better or worse, and that day we had a steep hill to go up.

2. (intransitive) To become shorter.
3. (transitive) To make deficient (as to); to deprive (of).

   • Spoiled of his nose, and shorten'd of his ears.

4. (transitive) To make short or friable, as pastry, with butter, lard, etc.
5. (transitive) To reduce or diminish in amount, quantity, or extent; to lessen.

   to shorten an allowance of food

   • 1699, John Dryden, Dedication to His Grace the Duke of Ormond

     Here, where the subject is so fruitful, I am shortened by my chain.

   • 1858, George Borrow, The Romany Rye (volume 2, page 128)

     My grandfather, as I said before, was connected with a gang of shorters, and sometimes shortened money, […]

6. (nautical, transitive) To take in the slack of (a rope).
7. (nautical, transitive) To reduce (sail) by taking it in.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:shorten

Antonyms

• extend
• lengthen

Translations

Anagrams

• Herston, Hornets, Rhotens, Thorens, Thorsen, enhorts, hornets, snoreth, thrones