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laconicmore about laconic

laconic


  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Laconic  \La*con"ic\,  Laconical  \La*con"ic*al\,  a.  [L.  Laconicus 
  Laconian,  Gr  ??,  fr  ??  a  Laconian,  Laced[ae]monian,  or 
  Spartan:  cf  F.  laconique.] 
  1.  Expressing  much  in  few  words  after  the  manner  of  the 
  Laconians  or  Spartans;  brief  and  pithy;  brusque; 
  epigrammatic.  In  this  sense  laconic  is  the  usual  form 
 
  I  grow  laconic  even  beyond  laconicism;  for  sometimes 
  I  return  only  yes  or  no  to  questionary  or 
  petitionary  epistles  of  half  a  yard  long.  --Pope. 
 
  His  sense  was  strong  and  his  style  laconic. 
  --Welwood. 
 
  2.  Laconian;  characteristic  of  or  like  the  Spartans;  hence 
  stern  or  severe;  cruel;  unflinching. 
 
  His  head  had  now  felt  the  razor,  his  back  the  rod; 
  all  that  laconical  discipline  pleased  him  well 
  --Bp.  Hall. 
 
  Syn:  Short;  brief;  concise;  succinct;  sententious;  pointed; 
  pithy. 
 
  Usage:  {Laconic},  {Concise}.  Concise  means  without  irrelevant 
  or  superfluous  matter;  it  is  the  opposite  of  diffuse. 
  Laconic  means  concise  with  the  additional  quality  of 
  pithiness,  sometimes  of  brusqueness. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Laconic  \La*con"ic\,  n. 
  Laconism.  [Obs.]  --Addison. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  laconic 
  adj  :  brief  and  to  the  point;  effectively  cut  short;  "a  crisp 
  retort";  "a  response  so  curt  as  to  be  almost  rude"; 
  "the  laconic  reply;  `yes'";  "short  and  terse  and  easy 
  to  understand"  [syn:  {crisp},  {curt},  {terse}] 




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