laconism

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   extreme brevity in speech or writing

   His habitual laconism made every answer sound final.

2. 2
   noun

   a notably brief or terse expression

   Her curt ‘perhaps’ was a memorable laconism.

From Greek Lakōn, ‘a Spartan’ or ‘a person from Laconia,’ through Latin and French formations. Spartans were traditionally associated with terse speech, giving rise to the sense of extreme verbal brevity.

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