succinct

Forms

succinct (feminine succincte, masculine plural succincts, feminine plural succinctes)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin succīnctus (“girded up, short-robed”), hence “tight, brief”.^[2][3][1] The Latin word is the past participle, used as an adjective, of succingō (“to tuck up a garment, to gird”), formed from sub- and cingō (“to gird”),^[3][4] the verb that gave ceindre by regular sound change.^[3] The figurative sense “brief, short” already existed in Imperial Latin.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi's first record is from 1482, in Guillaume Flamang's Vie de saint Didier, of a brief, concise speech;^[2] Bloch and Wartburg date the adjective to 1491.^[5] It is probably older, since the adverb succinctement is already found in the 14th century.^[3][5]

Semantic evolution

From the first the adjective described what is said in few words; by 1508 it was applied to style.^[2][3] It was used of a person who speaks briefly in 1596 and in La Fontaine (1668), a use Rey considers archaic.^[2][3][6]

From the 17th century it also meant scanty: Richelet in 1680 records a dîné fort succinct and son bien est fort succinct “he has little property”.^[2][6][3] The Petit Robert labels the use of a meal as humorous.^[7]

Timeline

• 14th century – The adverb succinctement is recorded once.^[3]
• 1482 – Guillaume Flamang uses succinct of a brief speech.^[2]
• 1486 – Succinctement appears again.^[3][2]
• 1508 – Applied to style.^[2]
• 1596 – Used of a laconic person.^[2]
• 1680 – Richelet records the sense “scanty”.^[2][6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Said or written in few words, brief, concise: une note succincte.^[7][8][2]
2. Of a person: expressing himself briefly, laconic: soyez succinct.^[7][8][6]
3. (humorous) Not plentiful, meagre: un repas succinct.^[7][8][9]

Word family

• succinctement

Related words

• ceindre
• concis
• Latin succīnctus

Usage notes

The final consonants are silent: /syk.sɛ̃/, feminine /syk.sɛ̃t/;^[9][4] Littré condemned the pronunciation with a sounded ⟨t⟩ in the masculine.^[9][4] It sounds like succin “amber”.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
9. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette