succinct
adjective
sə-ˈsiŋ(k)t
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A Succinct History of Succinct
The history of succinct might not be short, but it's a cinch to remember. Succinct traces to Latin succinctus ("tightly wrapped, concise"), which comes from the verb cingere ("to gird"), the word that gave us cincture and cinch. In its earliest uses succinct meant "confined" or "girded up," and, as such, it was often used in reference to garments encircled by a band. Eventually, succinct was extended to the realm of insects, where it meant "supported by a band of silk around the middle" (as in "the succinct pupa of a butterfly"). Later, the word was applied to writings. A "succinct" piece of writing is "compressed" or "compact" and uses as few words as possible.
Synonyms
Examples of succinct in a Sentence
Zachary Karabell, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2009
As Esther Benbassa recounts in her dry but impressively succinct and informative history, they arrived in the Roman province of Gaul in the first centuries of the common era, and soon found themselves trod underfoot by the ascendant Christian church.
—David A. Bell, New Republic, 28 Feb. 2000
In his first work of popular science, English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking proves himself to be a master of vivid clarity. His title, " A Brief History of Time," is understated even by British standards; in 198 pages Hawking manages no less than a succinct history of cosmology, a concise explanation of general relativity and its intersection with quantum mechanics …
—Richard Rhodes, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 1988
He gave a succinct overview of the expansion project.
a pocket guide that provides succinct explanations for rules of grammar and punctuation
Victoria Zelefsky, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
The portion of her answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide ranging 21-minute-long segment.
—CBS News, 31 Oct. 2024
A week out from the election, the event mostly steered clear of politics, although Aubrey Plaza took the opportunity to rebuke comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s recent Puerto Rico joke from Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally this past weekend with a direct, and succinct, expletive.
—Kristen Tauer, WWD, 30 Oct. 2024
Yesterday evening the legacy space kicked off its succinct and bodacious night with a cocktail hour.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 30 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Succinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/succinct. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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succinct
adjective
sə-ˈsiŋ(k)t
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