Anything
short or
brief is of relatively small extent. That which is
concise (L.
con-, with, together, and
cædo,
cut) is trimmed down, and that which is
condensed (L.
con-, with, together, and
densus, thick) is, as it were,
pressed together, so as to include as much as possible within a small space. That which is
compendious (L.
com-, together, and
pendo, weigh) gathers the substance of a matter into a few words, weighty and effective.
The
succinct (L.
succinctus, from
sub-, under, and
cingo, gird; girded from below) has an alert effectiveness
as if girded for action. The
summary is compacted to the utmost, often to the point of abruptness; as, we speak
of a
summary statement or a
summary dismissal. That which is
terse (L.
tersus, from
tergo, rub off) has an
elegant and finished completeness within the smallest possible compass, as if rubbed or polished down to the
utmost. A
sententious style is one abounding in sentences that are singly striking or memorable, apart from the
context; the word may be used invidiously of that which is pretentiously oracular. A
pithy utterance gives the
gist of a matter effectively, whether in rude or elegant style.
Antonyms:
diffuse, lengthy, long, prolix, tedious, verbose, wordy.
* * * * *
TESTIMONY.
Synonyms:
affidavit, attestation, deposition, proof, affirmation, certification, evidence, witness.
Testimony, in legal as well as in common use, signifies the statements of witnesses.
Deposition and
affidavit
denote
testimony reduced to writing; the
deposition differs from the
affidavit in that the latter is voluntary and
without cross-examination, while the former is made under interrogatories and subject to cross-examination.
Evidence is a broader term, including the
testimony of witnesses and all facts of every kind that tend to prove
a thing true; we have the
testimony of a traveler that a fugitive passed this way; his footprints in the sand are
additional
evidence of the fact. Compare DEMONSTRATION; OATH.
* * * * *
THEREFORE.
Synonyms:
accordingly, consequently, then, whence, because, hence, thence, wherefore.
Therefore, signifying for that (or this) reason, is the most precise and formal word for expressing the direct
conclusion of a chain of reasoning;
then carries a similar but slighter sense of inference, which it gives
incidentally rather than formally; as, "All men are mortal; Cæsar is a man;
therefore Cæsar is mortal;" or,
"The contract is awarded;
then there is no more to be said."
Consequently denotes a direct result, but more
frequently of a practical than a theoretic kind; as, "Important matters demand my attention;
consequently I
shall not sail to-day."
Consequently is rarely used in the formal conclusions of logic or mathematics, but
marks rather the freer and looser style of rhetorical argument.
Accordingly denotes correspondence, which
may or may not be consequence; it is often used in narration; as, "The soldiers were eager and confident;
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