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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

syn·op·sis

Audio Help [si-nop-sis] Pronunciation Key

–noun, plural -ses

Audio Help [-seez] Pronunciation Key.

1.	a brief or condensed statement giving a general view of some subject.

2.	a compendium of heads or short paragraphs giving a view of the whole.

3.	a brief summary of the plot of a novel, motion picture, play, etc.

[Origin: 1605–15; < LL < Gk sýnopsis, equiv. to syn- syn- + op- (suppletive s. of horân to see; cf. autopsy) + -sis -sis

]

—Synonyms condensation, epitome, abstract, abridgment, précis. See summary.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
synopsis

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

syn·op·sis Audio Help (sĭ-nŏp'sĭs) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. syn·op·ses (-sēz)
A brief outline or general view, as of a subject or written work; an abstract or a summary.

[Late Latin, from Greek sunopsis, general view : sun-, syn- + opsis, view; see ok^w- in Indo-European roots.]

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
synopsis

1611, from L.L. synopsis "a synopsis," from Gk. synopsis "general view," from a stem of synoran "to see altogether, all at once," from syn- "together" + horan "to see, view." Synoptic (1763) is applied to the first three Gospels (1841) on notion of "giving an account of events from the same point of view."

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

synopsis
noun
a sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory [syn: outline]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Synopsis

A*bridg"ment\ (-br[i^]j"ment), n. [OE. abregement. See Abridge.]

1. The act of abridging, or the state of being abridged; diminution; lessening; reduction or deprivation; as, an abridgment of pleasures or of expenses.

2. An epitome or compend, as of a book; a shortened or abridged form; an abbreviation.

Ancient coins as abridgments of history. --Addison.

3. That which abridges or cuts short; hence, an entertainment that makes the time pass quickly. [Obs.]

What abridgment have you for this evening? What mask? What music? --Shak.

Syn: Abridgment, Compendium, Epitome, Abstract, Synopsis.

Usage: An abridgment is made by omitting the less important parts of some larger work; as, an abridgment of a dictionary. A compendium is a brief exhibition of a subject, or science, for common use; as, a compendium of American literature. An epitome corresponds to a compendium, and gives briefly the most material points of a subject; as, an epitome of history. An abstract is a brief statement of a thing in its main points. A synopsis is a bird's-eye view of a subject, or work, in its several parts.

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