abbreviate vs shorten

abbreviate and shorten both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
abbreviate	No	No	Yes	No
shorten	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, abbreviate and shorten are synonyms defined as:

abbreviate and shorten: reduce in scope while retaining essential elements

Other synonyms of abbreviate include abridge, contract, cut, foreshorten, reduce.

As verbs, shorten is a hyponym of abbreviate; that is, shorten is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than abbreviate:

Other hyponyms of abbreviate include bowdlerise, bowdlerize, castrate, expurgate, concentrate, condense, digest.

abbreviate (verb)	shorten (verb)
shorten	become short or shorter
reduce in scope while retaining essential elements	make shorter than originally intended; reduce or retrench in length or duration
	reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
	edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
	make short or shorter