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"shortness" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often brevity (7 letters).
Definitions
an abrupt discourteous manner
Word origin
From Middle English schortnesse, from Old English sċortnes, sċeortnys, equivalent to short + -ness.
Used in a sentence
“the shortness of a stubby pencil”
“the patient's shortness of breath”
“From time to time in both directions the engine was blowing off, so there was no shortness of steam.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Brevity”9 letters
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