What does shortening mean?

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

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word shortening.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. shorteningnoun

    fat such as butter or lard used in baked goods

  2. shorteningnoun

    act of decreasing in length

    "the dress needs shortening"

Wiktionary

  1. shorteningnoun

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

Wikipedia

  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.

ChatGPT

  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 Dictionary

  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

Wikidata

  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

How to pronounce shortening?

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. 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.

  2. Janice Nolen:

    You're changing the way a child's lung functions while a child is growing up, that has lifelong implications. You're shortening a life because somebody develops a heart attack ... or dies of an asthma attack, and those are not reversible.

  3. 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

  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

shortening#10000#27613#100000

Translations for shortening

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for shortening »

Translation

Find a translation for the shortening definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"shortening." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/shortening>.

Discuss these shortening definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for shortening? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    shortening

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    A defiant
    B incumbent
    C epidemic
    D arbitrary

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for shortening: