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concise

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con⋅cise

[kuhn-sahys]
–adjective
expressing or covering much in few words; brief in form but comprehensive in scope; succinct; terse: a concise explanation of the company's retirement plan.

Origin:
1580–90; < L concīsus cut short (ptp. of concīdere), equiv. to con- con- + -cīd- (comb. form of caedere to cut) + -tus ptp. ending


con⋅cise⋅ly, adverb


pithy, compendious, laconic. Concise, succinct, terse all refer to speech or writing that uses few words to say much. Concise usually implies that unnecessary details or verbiage have been eliminated from a more wordy statement: a concise summary of the speech. Succinct, on the other hand, implies that the message is as originally composed and is expressed in as few words as possible: a succinct statement of the problem. Terse sometimes suggests brevity combined with wit or polish to produce particularly effective expression: a terse, almost aphoristic, style. It may also suggest brusqueness or curtness: a terse reply that was almost rude.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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con·cise   (kən-sīs')   
adj.  Expressing much in few words; clear and succinct.

[Latin concīsus, past participle of concīdere, to cut up : com-, intensive pref.; see com- + caedere, to cut; see kaə-id- in Indo-European roots.]
con·cise'ly adv., con·cise'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

concise 
c.1590, from L. concisus "cut off, brief," pp. of concidere "to cut off," from com- intensive prefix + caedere "to cut," from PIE *kae-id- "to strike" (cf. Skt. skhidati "beats, tears," Lith. kaisti "shave").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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