shorthand

UK/ˈʃɔːthænd/US/ˈʃɔɹthænd/

nounB2+Common in everyday speech and writing · #8,333 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: shorthands

Shorthand is a rapid writing system using abbreviated symbols. Take it down in shorthand.

A good writer can keep up with normal speech, which typing cannot quite manage. Shorthand is also used to mean any brief way of referring to something complicated.

Definitions of shorthand

1nounshorthandA rapid writing system using abbreviated symbols.B2+
“She took the whole interview down in shorthand and typed it up at home.”

shorthand is a system.

Where it comes from

Short plus hand: writing done with a short hand rather than a long one.

The noun is derived from short + hand. The verb is derived from the noun.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

shorthand in the wild

Many journalists use shorthand writing for quickly taking notes.
Shorthand
In educational contexts, structured dictation practice is often used to improve shorthand writing speed and listening accuracy.
Shorthand
Boyd's syllabic shorthand is a system of shorthand invented by Robert Boyd, published originally in 1903, and updated in 1912.
Boyd's syllabic shorthand
Pitman shorthand is a system of shorthand for the English language developed by Isaac Pitman, who first presented it in 1837.
Pitman shorthand
There have been several versions of Pitman's shorthand since 1837.
Pitman shorthand

1 / 3

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

← Vocabulary