#shortening  act of decreasing in length: "the dress needs shortening"
  supertype:  step-down__decrease__diminution__reduction  the act of decreasing or reducing something
  subtype:  abbreviation  shortening something by omitting parts of it
  subtype:  cutting_off__cuttingoff__cut__cutting  the act of shortening something by cutting off the ends; "the barber gave him a good cut"
     subtype:  snip__clip__clipping  the act of clipping or snipping
     subtype:  haircut  the act of cutting the hair
     subtype:  clipping__trim__trimming  cutting down to the desired size or shape
        subtype:  pruning  the act of trimming a plant
     subtype:  shearing  removing by cutting off or clipping
        subtype:  sheepshearing  act of shearing sheep
  subtype:  muscular_contraction__contraction  (physiology) a shortening or tensing of a part or organ (especially of a muscle or muscle fiber)
     subtype:  contracture  an abnormal and usually permanent contraction of a muscle
     subtype:  tetanus__tetanu  a sustained muscular contraction resulting from a rapid series of nerve impulses
     subtype:  uterine_contraction__uterinecontraction  a rhythmic tightening in labor of the upper uterine musculature that contracts the size of the uterus and pushes the fetus toward the birth canal
     subtype:  Braxton-Hicks_contraction__false_labor__falselabor  painless contractions of the muscles of the uterus that continue throughout pregnancy with increasing frequency
     subtype:  vaginismus  muscular contraction that causes the vagina to close; usually an anxiety reaction before coitus or pelvic examination

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