Summary
/ˈsʌm.əri/noun
A brief statement that gives the main points of something.
Did you know?“Summary” ultimately comes from Latin *summa*, meaning “the top” or “chief point,” so a summary is literally the highest, most distilled part of a thing.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sem-
“one, together”
Latin
Latin
summa
“the highest point, total, chief part”
Late Latin
Latin
summarium
“an abridgment, abstract, or compendium”
Old French
Old French
sommaire
“brief, concise; an abridgment”
Middle English
English
summarye
“a brief account or abstract”
Modern English
English
summary
“a concise statement of the main points”
Explore more surprising origins