Succinct
/səkˈsɪŋkt/noun
Expressed clearly and briefly, without unnecessary words.
Did you know?The Roman metaphor behind succinctness was physical restraint: thoughts were imagined as being cinched tightly so nothing loose or excessive escaped.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*keng-
“To bind, gird, or encircle”
Classical Latin
Latin
cingere
“To gird, surround, or encircle”
Classical Latin
Latin
succingere
“To gird up or tuck clothing close around the body”
Late Latin
Latin
succinctus
“Girded up; figuratively compact or concise”
16th Century
English
succinct
“Brief and concise in expression”
Modern English
English
succinct
“Clearly expressed in few words”