Abbreviate (verb)

1. To shorten or reduce in length or duration.
2. To shorten (a word or phrase) by using an abbreviation or initialism.
3. To represent (something) in a shortened form.

Origin:

From latin abbreviare, to shorten, from ad- + brevis 'short'.

Examples:

1. He abbreviated his name to just 'Jim' for convenience.
2. The word 'United States of America' is often abbreviated to 'USA'.
3. The class was abbreviated to just an hour because of the snowstorm.
4. The report was abbreviated to just the most important points for the presentation.
5. She abbreviated the address to just the zip code to save space on the envelope.