Short selection from shorter selection (5)
I believe the answer is:
terse
'short' is the definition.
(terse can mean short or brusque)
'selection from shorter selection' is the wordplay.
'selection from' indicates a hidden word.
'TERSE' can be found hidden inside 'shorter selection'.
(Other definitions for terse that I've seen before include "Concise about trees" , "Brief; abrupt" , "Abrupt, concise" , "Of speech, short and pithy" , "Curt, concise" .)