Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “succinct” come from?

Succinct comes from Middle English succinte, from Old French succinct, from Latin succinctus meaning "girded up," derived from Latin succingo "to gird up," which combines Latin sub "under" with a root from Proto-Indo-European kenk- and Proto-Indo-European upo.

succinct (English): brief and to the point; compressed into a tiny...

Definitions

  1. brief and to the point; compressed into a tiny...

Ancestry of “succinct”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsuccinte—
2Old Frenchsuccinct—
3Latinsuccinctusready, prepared, having been readied; succinct,...
4Latinsuccingō—
5Latinsub-sub-
6Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “succinct”

  • succinctly
  • succinctness
  • unsuccinct
  • unsuccinctly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →