abridge — ODE

abridge /əˈbrɪdʒ

▸ verb [with object]

1 shorten (a piece of writing) without losing the sense:

the introduction is abridged from the author's afterword to the novel.

2 Law curtail (a right or privilege):

even the right to free speech can be abridged.

– DERIVATIVES

abridgeable /əˈbrɪdʒəbl

/ adjective

abridger noun

– ORIGIN Middle English (in the sense ‘deprive of’): from Old French abregier, from late Latin abbreviare ‘cut short’ (see abbreviate).