foreshorten

American  

[fawr-shawr-tn, fohr-] / fɔrˈʃɔr tn, foʊr- /

verb (used with object)

1. Fine Arts. to reduce or distort (parts of a represented object that are not parallel to the picture plane) in order to convey the illusion of three-dimensional space as perceived by the human eye: often done according to the rules of perspective.

2. to abridge, reduce, or contract; make shorter.

---

foreshorten British  

/ fɔːˈʃɔːtən /

verb

1. to represent (a line, form, object, etc) as shorter than actual length in order to give an illusion of recession or projection, in accordance with the laws of linear perspective

2. to make shorter or more condensed; reduce or abridge

---

Other Word Forms

• unforeshortened adjective

Etymology

Origin of foreshorten

First recorded in 1600–10; fore- + shorten

Example Sentences

The entire food chain of intermediaries in the subprime mortgage market was duping itself with the same trick, using the foreshortened, statistically meaningless past to predict the future.

From Literature

She has foreshortened arms and legs, with one digit on each hand.

From BBC

Until they realize that living together, as messy as it is likely to be, is far preferable to the existential fear of foreshortened, forestalled and anxiety-filled lives recycled forever.

From Salon

But that version of the story has been so foreshortened that I think it skips over the most significant facts, not to mention the unanswered questions.

From Salon

One of the more intriguing aspects of his foreshortened life was an attitude described here as Romantic Cruelism: a pose of complete indifference or dark humor even in the face of tragedy.

From New York Times