From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
shorten
v 1: make shorter than originally intended; reduce or retrench
in length or duration; "He shortened his trip due to
illness" [ant: lengthen]
2: reduce in scope while retaining essential elements; "The
manuscript must be shortened" [syn: abridge, foreshorten,
abbreviate, shorten, cut, contract, reduce] [ant:
dilate, elaborate, enlarge, expand, expatiate,
exposit, expound, flesh out, lucubrate]
3: make short or shorter; "shorten the skirt"; "shorten the rope
by a few inches"
4: become short or shorter; "In winter, the days shorten" [ant:
lengthen]
5: edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate;
"bowdlerize a novel" [syn: bowdlerize, bowdlerise,
expurgate, castrate, shorten]