expansion vs shortening

expansion

noun
  • A new addition. 

  • A product to be used with a previous product. 

  • That which is expanded; expanse; extended surface. 

  • The operation of steam in a cylinder after its communication with the boiler has been cut off, by which it continues to exert pressure upon the moving piston. 

  • The replacement of a short name (e.g., acronym, initialism, alphanumeric symbol, abbreviation) with the longer name that is synonymous with it, as when spelling out acronyms to ensure clarity for a general audience. 

  • The string of text thus substituted. 

  • An act, process, or instance of expanding. 

  • The fractional change in unit length per unit length per unit temperature change. 

shortening

noun
  • Fat that is solid at room temperature, such as margarine or lard (not usually used of butter), used to make shortcrust pastry. 

How often have the words expansion and shortening occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )