laconism

English

Etymology

From Latin Laconia, from Ancient Greek Λακεδαίμων (Lakedaímōn, “the region surrounding the city of Sparta”).

Noun

laconism (countable and uncountable, plural laconisms)

1. (uncountable, rhetoric) Extreme brevity in expression.

   Synonyms: conciseness, laconicism, succinctness; see also Thesaurus:succinctness

   • 1886, Thomas Hardy, chapter 20, in The Mayor of Casterbridge‎^[1]:

     “Well, where have you been?” he said to her with offhand laconism.

   • 1995 April 24, Steve Wulf, “The Passing of an Era”, in Time:

     […] Joe Montana is finally calling it quits. A retirement party in San Francisco and a press conference in Kansas City, Missouri, are planned for this week, and his agents are shopping him around to the networks as a broadcaster, even though Montana has a reputation for laconism.

2. (countable) A very or notably brief expression.

   Synonyms: brevity, epigram

   • 1716, Thomas Browne, edited by Samuel Johnson, Christian Morals‎^[2], 2nd edition, London: J. Payne, published 1756, Part I, p. 37:

     The hand of PROVIDENCE writes often by abbreviatures, hieroglyphicks or short characters, which, like the Laconism on the wall, are not to be made out but by a hint or key from that SPIRIT which indited them.

   • 1882, Adolphus William Ward, chapter 6, in Charles Dickens‎^[3], London: Macmillan, page 154:

     Perhaps the most striking difference between [A Tale of Two Cities] and his other novels may seem to lie in the all but entire absence from it of any humour or attempt at humour; for neither the brutalities of that “honest tradesman” Jerry, nor the laconisms of Miss Pross, can well be called by that name.

Related terms

• laconic

Translations

brevity in expression

• Armenian: լակոնիզմ (hy) (lakonizm)
• Finnish: lakonisuus (fi)
• French: laconisme (fr)
• Italian: laconismo (it) m, laconicismo (it) m
• Macedonian: лакони́зам m (lakonízam)
• Romanian: laconism (ro) n
• Spanish: laconismo (es) m, pauciloquio m

brief expression

• Finnish: toteamus
• Spanish: laconismo (es) m

See also

• Atticism

Anagrams

• limacons, limaçons

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French laconisme.

Noun

laconism n (uncountable)

1. laconism

Declension

singular only	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	laconism	laconismul
genitive-dative	laconism	laconismului
vocative	laconismule