An abridgement is the short book (or play, or speech) you hold after someone has cut a longer work down — and it can also mean the act of making it shorter. You might buy an abridgement of a classic because the original is huge. British spelling keeps the extra e (abridgement); American spelling often drops it (abridgment). Both names the same thing. It is a formal, bookish noun; shops more often print “abridged edition” on the cover than this word. Do not confuse it with abbreviation, which is the short form of a word, like Dr for Doctor.