Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A brief statement mentioning the main points of something.
  • adjective Presenting the substance in a condensed form; concise.
  • adjective Performed speedily and without ceremony.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Containing the sum or substance only; reduced to few words; short; brief; concise; compendious: as, a summary statement of arguments or objections.
  • Rapidly performed; quickly executed; effected by a short way or method; without hesitation, delay, or formality.
  • Synonyms Succinct, Condensed, etc. (see concise); synoptical, terse, pithy.
  • Prompt, rapid.
  • noun An abridged or condensed statement or account; an abstract, abridgment, or compendium containing the sum or substance of a fuller statement.
  • noun In law, a short application to a court or judge, without the formality of a full proceeding.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A general or comprehensive statement; an abridged account; an abstract, abridgment, or compendium, containing the sum or substance of a fuller account.
  • adjective Formed into a sum; summed up; reduced into a narrow compass, or into few words; short; brief; concise; compendious.
  • adjective Hence, rapidly performed; quickly executed.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Concise, brief or presented in a condensed form
  • adjective Performed speedily and without formal ceremony.
  • adjective law Performed by cutting the procedures of a normal trial.
  • noun An abstract or a condensed presentation of the substance of a body of material.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective briefly giving the gist of something
  • noun a brief statement that presents the main points in a concise form
  • adjective performed speedily and without formality

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Medieval Latin summārius, of or concerning the sum, from Latin summa, sum; see sum.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

(Adjective) From Medieval Latin summarius, from Latin summa.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word summary.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.