Definition of "shortening" [short•en•ing]

• A fat, such as butter or lard, used to make cake or pastry light or flaky. (noun)
• A shortened form of something, as a word. (noun)
• The act of one that shortens. (noun)
• The act or process of becoming shorter. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Since the early 19th century, the term shortening has been used to mean fats or oils that “shorten” a dough, or weaken its structure and thus make the final product more tender or flaky."
• "With pastry blender or fork, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs."
• "These days, shortening is made trans-fat free by fully hydrogenating the oils."