Definitions for Shortening
ˈʃɔrt nɪŋ, ˈʃɔr tn ɪŋshort·en·ing

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. shorteningnoun

   fat such as butter or lard used in baked goods

2. shorteningnoun

   act of decreasing in length

   "the dress needs shortening"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. shorteningnoun

   Solid fat, such as butter, lard or hydrogenated vegetable oil, used to make shortcrust pastry.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Shortening

   Shortening is any fat that is a solid at room temperature and used to make crumbly pastry and other food products. The idea of shortening dates back to at least the 18th century, well before the invention of modern, shelf-stable vegetable shortening. In the earlier centuries, lard was the primary ingredient used to shorten dough. The reason it is called shortening is that it makes the resulting food crumbly, or to behave as if it has short fibers. Solid fat prevents cross-linkage between gluten molecules. This cross-linking would give dough elasticity, so it could be stretched into longer pieces. In pastries such as cake, which should not be elastic, shortening is used to produce the desired texture.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. shortening

   Shortening is a type of fat used in cooking and baking to enhance texture, flavor, and moisture content. It generally refers to a solid fat made from vegetable oils, like soybean and cottonseed oil, which have been hydrogenated to create a semi-solid texture. However, it can also refer to any fat that is solid at room temperature like lard or butter. The term "shortening" often used in baking, is derived from its effect on gluten whereby it 'shorts' or inhibits the formation of gluten strands, creating a more tender or crumbly texture.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Shortening

   of Shorten

2. Shorteningnoun

   the act of making or becoming short or shorter

3. Shorteningnoun

   that which renders pastry short or friable, as butter, lard, etc

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Shortening

   Shortening is any fat that is solid at room temperature and used to make crumbly pastry. In pastries such as cake, which should not be elastic, shortening is used. Although butter is solid at room temperature and is frequently used in making pastry, the term "shortening" seldom refers to butter but is more closely related to margarine.

Matched Categories

1. • Decrease
   • Edible Fat

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce Shortening?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Shortening in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Shortening in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Shortening in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of Shortening in a Sentence

1. Med Jones:

   The knowledge, wealth, and development gaps among nations is reducing and the reign of superpowers is shortening. Just look at the history of the Roman, Islamic, Russian and British empires, the newer the power the shorter the reign. In the economic and business worlds the same power cycles apply. Ford, IBM, Nokia and other companies lost their leadership position to newer companies faster than their predecessors

2. Michel Milinkovitch:

   There's a very fine control over what part of the trunk is contracting, it's not the whole trunk that is elongating and shortening -- it's portions, depending on what the elephant is doing.

3. Nils Muiznieks:

   (Slovenia) is becoming a country of destination for asylum seekers, and the authorities should improve the quality of the services available to them, including by shortening the length of asylum procedures.

4. Med Jones:

   The knowledge, wealth, and development gaps among nations is reducing and the reign of superpowers is shortening. Just look at the history of the Roman, Islamic, Russian and British empires, the newer the power the shorter the reign. In the economic and business worlds the same power cycles apply. Ford, IBM, Nokia and other companies all lost their leadership position to newer companies.

5. Rossella Rago:

   Everybody always asks me, ‘ Can I make this with shortening ? ’ And the answer is always : ‘ No, ’ if it’s any other time of year, I will say, ‘ Yes, fine, use shortening, ’ but when it’s actually Easter you have got to use lard.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=Shortening
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Shortening
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shortening
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Shortening
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=Shortening
7. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Shortening