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.