foreshorten

verb

fore·​short·​en fȯr-ˈshȯr-tᵊn 

foreshortened; foreshortening; foreshortens

transitive verb

1

: to shorten by proportionately contracting in the direction of depth so that an illusion of projection or extension in space is obtained

2

: to make more compact : abridge, shorten

Did you know?

Foreshorten first appeared in a 1606 treatise on art by the British writer and artist Henry Peacham: "If I should paint ... an horse with his brest and head looking full in my face, I must of necessity foreshorten him behinde." Peacham's "foreshorten" probably comes from "fore-" (meaning "earlier" or "beforehand") plus "shorten." The addition of "fore-" to verbs was a routine practice in Peacham's day, creating such words as "fore-conclude," "fore-consider," "fore-instruct," and "fore-repent." "Foreshorten," along with words like "foresee" and "foretell," is one of the few "fore-" combinations to still survive.

Examples of foreshorten in a Sentence

The parts that extend towards the viewer are foreshortened.

Recent Examples on the Web

The painting also has elements of foreshortening that create an almost three-dimensional look to the muskets and other details in the painting. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2023

While the other clones were euthanized for more detailed analysis of their tissues, the scientists kept Dorami around to see if the process that had created her might foreshorten her time on Earth. —Megan Molteni, STAT, 8 July 2022

However, because crises foreshorten the time horizon of most investors, Kroger’s shares are up more than 10% year to date, beating the market by roughly 25 percentage points. —Adam Seessel, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2020

Throughout history, plagues and pandemics have flattened human aspirations and foreshortened attention spans from long-term plans to day-by-day survival. —Steven Litt, cleveland, 12 Apr. 2020

The Golden Gate Bridge is seen from above, its sweeping lines foreshortened. —Roland Li, SFChronicle.com, 24 Feb. 2020

While the foreshortened sleeping figures in the foreground and even the curving road at right are clearly nods to his brother-in-law, Bellini’s vision is his own. —Mary Tompkins Lewis, WSJ, 3 Nov. 2018

Instead, Cooper uses a foreign artist’s exotic insight to foreshorten western-movie mythology. —Armond White, National Review, 26 Jan. 2018

Muscles stretched magically, foreshortened shockingly. —Jeet Heer, New Republic, 28 Aug. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for foreshorten

• fortin
• horton
• shorten

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Kids Definition

foreshorten

verb

fore·​short·​en fōr-ˈshȯrt-ᵊn 

fȯr-

: to shorten (a detail) in a drawing or painting so that it appears to have depth