succinct

Succinct, a.

Etymology: [L. succinctus, p.p. of succingere to gird below or from below, to tuck up; sub + cingere to gird. Cf. Cincture.]

1. Girded or tucked up; bound; drawn tightly together. His habit fit for speed succinct. Milton.

2. Compressed into a narrow compass; brief; concise. Let all your precepts be succinct and clear. Roscommon. The shortest and most succinct model that ever grasped all the needs and necessities of mankind. South.

Syn. -- Short; brief; concise; summary; compendious; laconic; terse. -- Suc*cinct"ly, adv. -- Suc*cinct"ness, n.

Shades of meaning

Fernald has no entry of its own for succinct; he lists it under terse.

Where he writes about it:

The succinct (L. succinctus, from sub-, under, and cingo, gird; girded from below) has an alert effectiveness as if girded for action. — from terse

Synonyms

terse brief compact compendious concise condensed laconic neat pithy sententious short

Antonyms

diffuse lengthy long prolix tedious verbose wordy

etymology Webster’s online