mid-14c., shortenen, "make shorter;" late 14c., "grow shorter," from short (adj.) + -en (1); the earlier form of the verb was simply short, from Old English sceortian "to grow short, become short; run short, fail," gescyrtan "to make short." For cookery sense (1733) see shortening. Related: Shortened.

shortened and altered form of refrigerator, 1926, an unusual way of word-formation in English; perhaps influenced by Frigidaire (1919), name of a popular early brand of self-contained automatically operated iceless refrigerator (Frigidaire Corporation, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.), a name suggesting Latin frigidarium "a cooling room in a bath." Frigerator as a colloquial shortening is attested by 1886.

1640s, a Scottish legal term, "stop, stay or suspend" a proceeding, by or as if by judicial decree, from Latin sistere "to cause to stand" (see assist (v.)).

1610s, "to block or stop up with obstacles or impediments," a back-formation from obstruction or else from Latin obstructus, past participle of obstruere "build up, block, block up, build against, stop, bar, hinder," from ob "in front of, in the way of" (see ob-) + struere "to pile, build" (from PIE *streu-, extended form of root *stere- "to spread"). Figurative sense of "to hinder, impede, retard, delay" (justice, the law, etc.) is by 1640s. Related: Obstructed; obstructing.

"tubular musical instrument sounded by blowing," Old English hwistle (see whistle (v.)). Meaning "sound formed by pursing the lips and blowing" is from mid-15c. To wet one's whistle "take a drink" (late 14c.) originally may have referred to pipes, or be an allusion to the throat as a sort of pipe. Phrase clean as a whistle is recorded from 1878. Railroad whistle-stop (at which trains stop only if the engineer hears a signal from the station) is recorded from 1934.

by 1952, "annoy;" by 1967, "have sexual intercourse with;" a Yiddish word, literally "push, shove," related to dialectal German stupfen "to nudge, jog," probably related to stop (v.).

1925 as short for psychologist; (earlier short for psychology, 1921); as short for psychopath by 1942.

"short pants," 1826, from short (adj.). Short-shorts is attested from 1946, originally men's briefs.

c. 1300, bref, "of short duration;" early 14c., "small with respect to length, short;" from Latin brevis (adj.) "short, low, little, shallow," from PIE *mregh-wi-, from root *mregh-u- "short."

"to go out to fight," 16c., from field (n.) in the specific sense of "battlefield" (Old English). The sports meaning "to stop and return the ball" is first recorded 1823, originally in cricket; figurative sense of this is from 1902. Related: Fielded; fielding.