Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SHORT'NESS, n.

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, the shortness 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. – Bacon.
4. Deficiency; imperfection; limited extent; as, the shortness of our reason. – Glanville.