succinct

****************************************************************
Attention word gurus:  try WORD SWEEP!, the first board game to feature 
Merriam-Webster definitions! Available at Borders Bookstores.
http://www.wordsweep.com
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for March 9 is:

succinct   \suk-SINKT\   adjective 
     : marked by compact precise expression without wasted words

Example sentence: 
     When the laconic Calvin Coolidge announced his decision not to seek 
reelection, his succinct statement upheld his reputation as one inclined to be 
brief: "I do not choose to run for President in 1928."

Did you know? 
     The history of "succinct" might not be short, but it's a cinch to 
remember. "Succinct" traces to the Latin verb "succingere" ("to gird about"), 
which comes from "cingere" ("to gird"), the word that gave us "cincture" and 
"cinch." The earliest uses of "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.





You Are Subscribed As: gclw-mw-wod7@xxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe, change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html
version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio
pronunciations, please visit:

http://www.startsampling.com/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2007 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102