From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbe short for somethingbe short for somethingSHORT/NOT LONGto be a shorter way of saying a name Her name is Alex, short for Alexandra. → short
Examples from the Corpus
be short for something• It is short for a par 5 but you soon realise why.• Her name is Alex, short for Alexandra.• Chuck is short for Charlie, and Charlie is the old code name for a down-home white bigot.• He was short for his age and had little, sharp, ugly eyes.• Already as a consequence of the war, half the children up to five years are short for their age due to malnutrition.• For now the nomads are surviving, but time most be short for them. 