What does "abbreviation" mean?

The term "abbreviation" refers specifically to a shortened form of a word or phrase. This often involves omitting certain letters or syllables to create a more concise version while retaining the original meaning. For example, “Dr.” is an abbreviation for “Doctor,” and “USA” stands for “United States of America.”

In contrast to the other options, they do not accurately represent the definition of an abbreviation. A new word entirely would imply the creation of a completely different term, which does not align with the concept of abbreviation. A complex grammatical structure pertains to intricate sentence formations, which is unrelated to the notion of abbreviating terms. Lastly, a term used in poetry does not encapsulate the essence of what an abbreviation is, as it does not define or directly relate to the concept at hand.