shortening

Short definition from Wiktionary

Noun

1. 1
   Fat that is solid at room temperature, especially hydrogenated vegetable oil (known as vegetable shortening), used to make shortcrust pastry and in deep fat frying.
2. 2
   verbal noun of shorten: the process by which something is made shorter; a reduction in length.

Verb

1. 1
   present participle and gerund of shorten