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summary

 - 4 dictionary results

sum⋅ma⋅ry

[suhm-uh-ree] noun, plural -ries, adjective
–noun
1. a comprehensive and usually brief abstract, recapitulation, or compendium of previously stated facts or statements.
–adjective
2. brief and comprehensive; concise.
3. direct and prompt; unceremoniously fast: to treat someone with summary dispatch.
4. (of legal proceedings, jurisdiction, etc.) conducted without, or exempt from, the various steps and delays of a formal trial.

Origin:
1400–50; late ME < L summārium, equiv. to summ(a) sum + -ārium -ary


sum⋅mar⋅i⋅ness [suh-mair-i-nis] , noun


1. outline, précis. Summary, brief, digest, synopsis are terms for a short version of a longer work. A summary is a brief statement or restatement of main points, esp. as a conclusion to a work: a summary of a chapter. A brief is a detailed outline, by heads and subheads, of a discourse (usually legal) to be completed: a brief for an argument. A digest is an abridgement of an article, book, etc., or an organized arrangement of material under heads and titles: a digest of a popular novel; a digest of Roman law. A synopsis is usually a compressed statement of the plot of a novel, play, etc.: a synopsis of Hamlet. 2. short, condensed, compact, succinct. 3. curt, terse, peremptory.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sum·ma·ry   (sŭm'ə-rē)   
adj.  
  1. Presenting the substance in a condensed form; concise: a summary review.

  2. Performed speedily and without ceremony: summary justice; a summary rejection.

n.   pl. sum·ma·ries
A presentation of the substance of a body of material in a condensed form or by reducing it to its main points; an abstract.

[Middle English, from Medieval Latin summārius, of or concerning the sum, from Latin summa, sum; see sum.]
sum·mar'i·ly (sə-měr'ə-lē) adv., sum'ma·ri·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

summary  (adj.)
1432, from M.L. summarius "of or pertaining to the sum or substance," from L. summa "whole, gist" (see sum). Sense of "done promptly" is first found 1713. The noun meaning "a summary statement or account" is first recorded 1509, from L. summarium "an epitome, abstract, summary," from summa "totality, gist." Summarily is attested from 1528. Summarize first recorded 1871.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: sum·ma·ry
Pronunciation: 's&-m&-rE
Function: adjective
: done immediately, concisely, and without usual formal procedures; especially : used in or done by summary proceeding —compare PLENARYsum·mar·i·ly /s&-'mer-&-lE/ adverb
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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