Abbreviation means a friend got married (7)
I believe the answer is:
acronym
'abbreviation' is the definition.
(I know that acronym is a type of abbreviation)
'a friend got married' is the wordplay.
'friend' becomes 'crony' (crony is a kind of friend).
'got' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'married' becomes 'm'.
'a'+'crony'+'m'='ACRONYM'
'means' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for acronym that I've seen before include "Ernie, perhaps" , "My acorn may generate a new word from first letters" , "eg RADA" , "radar, for one" , "quango, perhaps" .)