unexpectedly-shortened
|un-ex-pect-ed-ly-short-ened|
🇺🇸
/ˌʌnɪkˈspɛktɪdli ˈʃɔrtənd/
🇬🇧
/ˌʌnɪkˈspɛktɪdli ˈʃɔːtənd/
unexpected reduction
Etymology
'unexpectedly-shortened' is a compound word formed from 'unexpectedly' and 'shortened'. 'Unexpectedly' originates from the Latin 'ex-' meaning 'out of' and 'pectare' meaning 'to look', while 'shortened' comes from Old English 'sceortian', meaning 'to make short'.
'Unexpectedly' evolved from the Latin 'exspectare', through Old French 'especier', to Middle English 'expecten'. 'Shortened' evolved from Old English 'sceortian'.
Initially, 'unexpectedly' meant 'not foreseen', and 'shortened' meant 'made short'. The compound form retains these meanings.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
reduced in length or duration in a manner that was not anticipated.
The meeting was unexpectedly-shortened due to a power outage.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/07/11 18:28