2  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Short  \Short\,  a.  [Compar.  {Shorter};  superl.  {Shortest}.]  [OE. 
  short,  schort,  AS  scort,  sceort  akin  to  OHG.  scurz,  Icel. 
  skorta  to  be  short  of  to  lack,  and  perhaps  to  E.  shear,  v. 
  t.  Cf  {Shirt}.] 
  1.  Not  long;  having  brief  length  or  linear  extension;  as  a 
  short  distance;  a  short  piece  of  timber;  a  short  flight. 
 
  The  bed  is  shorter  than  that  a  man  can  stretch 
  himself  on  it  --Isa.  xxviii. 
  20. 
 
  2.  Not  extended  in  time;  having  very  limited  duration;  not 
  protracted;  as  short  breath. 
 
  The  life  so  short,  the  craft  so  long  to  learn. 
  --Chaucer. 
 
  To  short  absense  I  could  yield.  --Milton. 
 
  3.  Limited  in  quantity;  inadequate;  insufficient;  scanty;  as 
  a  short  supply  of  provisions,  or  of  water. 
 
  4.  Insufficiently  provided;  inadequately  supplied;  scantily 
  furnished;  lacking;  not  coming  up  to  a  resonable,  or  the 
  ordinary,  standard;  --  usually  with  of  as  to  be  short  of 
  money. 
 
  We  shall  be  short  in  our  provision.  --Shak. 
 
  5.  Deficient;  defective;  imperfect;  not  coming  up  as  to  a 
  measure  or  standard;  as  an  account  which  is  short  of  the 
  trith. 
 
  6.  Not  distant  in  time;  near  at  hand. 
 
  Marinell  was  sore  offended  That  his  departure  thence 
  should  be  so  short.  --Spenser. 
 
  He  commanded  those  who  were  appointed  to  attend  him 
  to  be  ready  by  a  short  day  --Clarendon. 
 
  7.  Limited  in  intellectual  power  or  grasp;  not  comprehensive; 
  narrow;  not  tenacious,  as  memory. 
 
  Their  own  short  understandings  reach  No  farther  than 
  the  present.  --Rowe. 
 
  8.  Less  important,  efficaceous,  or  powerful;  not  equal  or 
  equivalent;  less  (than);  --  with  of 
 
  Hardly  anything  short  of  an  invasion  could  rouse 
  them  again  to  war.  --Landor. 
 
  9.  Abrupt;  brief;  pointed;  petulant;  as  he  gave  a  short 
  answer  to  the  question. 
 
  10.  (Cookery)  Breaking  or  crumbling  readily  in  the  mouth; 
  crisp;  as  short  pastry. 
 
  11.  (Metal)  Brittle. 
 
  Note:  Metals  that  are  brittle  when  hot  are  called  ?ot-short; 
  as  cast  iron  may  be  hot-short,  owing  to  the  presence 
  of  sulphur.  Those  that  are  brittle  when  cold  are  called 
  cold-short;  as  cast  iron  may  be  cold-short,  on  account 
  of  the  presence  of  phosphorus. 
 
  12.  (Stock  Exchange)  Engaging  or  engaged  to  deliver  what  is 
  not  possessed;  as  short  contracts;  to  be  short  of  stock. 
  See  The  shorts,  under  {Short},  n.,  and  To  sell  short, 
  under  {Short},  adv 
 
  Note:  In  mercantile  transactions,  a  note  or  bill  is  sometimes 
  made  payable  at  short  sight,  that  is  in  a  little  time 
  after  being  presented  to  the  payer. 
 
  13.  (Phon.)  Not  prolonged,  or  relatively  less  prolonged,  in 
  utterance;  --  opposed  to  {long},  and  applied  to  vowels  or 
  to  syllables.  In  English,  the  long  and  short  of  the  same 
  letter  are  not  in  most  cases,  the  long  and  short  of  the 
  same  sound;  thus  the  i  in  ill  is  the  short  sound,  not  of 
  i  in  isle,  but  of  ee  in  eel,  and  the  e  in  pet  is  the 
  short  sound  of  a  in  pate,  etc  See  {Quantity},  and  Guide 
  to  Pronunciation,  [sect][sect]22,  30. 
 
  Note:  Short  is  much  used  with  participles  to  form  numerous 
  self-explaining  compounds;  as  short-armed, 
  short-billed,  short-fingered,  short-haired, 
  short-necked,  short-sleeved,  short-tailed, 
  short-winged,  short-wooled,  etc 
 
  {At  short  notice},  in  a  brief  time;  promptly. 
 
  {Short  rib}  (Anat.),  one  of  the  false  ribs. 
 
  {Short  suit}  (Whist),  any  suit  having  only  three  cards,  or 
  less  than  three  --R.  A.  Proctor. 
 
  {To  come  short},  {To  cut  short},  {To  fall  short},  etc  See 
  under  {Come},  {Cut},  etc 
 
  From  U.S.  Gazetteer  (1990)  [gazetteer]: 
 
  Shorter,  AL  (town,  FIPS  70128) 
  Location:  32.40075  N,  85.93661  W 
  Population  (1990):  461  (173  housing  units) 
  Area:  4.5  sq  km  (land),  0.0  sq  km  (water) 
  Zip  code(s):  36075 

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