Question

The prefix "ab" means to separate. Using that as a context clue, what do you think abbreviate means?

To separate a large part from a smaller word

To separate a small part from a larger word

To separate words from each other

To separate yourself from the word

I know abbreviate means to make a word "smaller" but this is confusing. help ?

Answer 1

the second option - separate a small part from a larger word - is what would make sense in the context of the prefix ab. Abbreviate, however, originated from Latin verb "abbreviare," which means shorten, from "brevis," which means short.