SHORT'NESS, noun 1. The quality of being short in space or time; little length or little duration; as the shortness of a journey or of distance; the shortness of the days in winter; the shortness of life. 2. Fewness of words; brevity; conciseness; as th eshortness of an essay. The prayers of the church, by reason of their shortness, are easy for the memory. 3. Want of reach or the power of retention; as the shortness of the memory. 4. Deficiency; imperfection; limited extent; as the shortness of our reason. SHORT'-RIB, noun [short and rib.] One of the lower ribs; a rib shorter than the others, below the sternum; a false rib.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI