| abbreviature |
| Definition:
An abbreviated or contracted form of a word or phrase. (noun, obsolete). Note: This word predates the synonym abbreviation, which eventually superseded it. |
| Example: The word can't is an abbreviature of the phrase can not. |
| Etymology: The term ultimately derives from the Latin brevis, short. |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first citation is from c1630: "From mistake of letters or abbreviatures by the transcribers." Note: The first citation for abbreviation in this sense is from 1727. (Jackson Creed viii. 27 Wks. VIII. 116) |