clipping

Clipping is a type of word-formation in which a short piece is extracted from a longer word and given the same meaning. Examples include bra from brassiere, gym from gymnasium, flu from influenza, cello from violoncello, phone from telephone and bus from omnibus. A word formed in this way is a clipped form. A clipped form is a real word, and not an abbreviation. A clipped form may continue to co-exist with its source, like gym and flu, or it may largely displace its source word, like bra and bus.