Shorten vs Shear - What's the difference?
shorten | shear | Related terms |
To make shorter; to abbreviate.
* 1877 , (Anna Sewell), (Black Beauty) Chapter 22[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Black_Beauty/22]
To become shorter.
To make deficient (as to); to deprive (of).
* Dryden
To make short or friable, as pastry, with butter, lard, etc.
To reduce or diminish in amount, quantity, or extent; to lessen.
* Dryden
(nautical) To take in the slack of (a rope).
(nautical) To reduce (sail) by taking it in.
To cut, originally with a sword or other bladed weapon, now usually with shears, or as if using shears.
* 1819 , Walter Scott, Ivanhoe :
* Shakespeare
To remove the fleece from a sheep etc by clipping.
(physics) To deform because of shearing forces.
(Scotland) To reap, as grain.
(figurative) To deprive of property; to fleece.
a cutting tool similar to scissors, but often larger
* Dryden
the act of shearing, or something removed by shearing
* Youatt
(physics) a force that produces a shearing strain
(geology) The response of a rock to deformation usually by compressive stress, resulting in particular textures.
As verbs the difference between shorten and shear
is that shorten is to make shorter; to abbreviate while shear is to cut, originally with a sword or other bladed weapon, now usually with shears, or as if using shears.As a noun shear is
a cutting tool similar to scissors, but often larger.As an adjective shear is
misspelling of lang=en.shorten
English
Verb
(en verb)- 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.
- Spoiled of his nose, and shortened of his ears.
- to shorten an allowance of food
- Here, where the subject is so fruitful, I am shortened by my chain.
Synonyms
* See also .Antonyms
* lengthenAnagrams
* * English ergative verbsshear
English
(wikipedia shear)Verb
- So trenchant was the Templar’s weapon, that it shore asunder, as it had been a willow twig, the tough and plaited handle of the mace, which the ill-fated Saxon reared to parry the blow, and, descending on his head, levelled him with the earth.
- the golden tresses were shorn away
- (Jamieson)
Noun
(en noun)- short of the wool, and naked from the shear
- After the second shearing, he is a two-shear' ram; at the expiration of another year, he is a three-' shear ram; the name always taking its date from the time of shearing.