Breviloquence

/brɛvɪˈloʊkwəns/ noun

Definition

The quality or practice of speaking in few words; conciseness and brevity in speech.

Etymology

From Latin 'brevis' (short) + 'loquentia' (eloquence, from 'loqui' meaning to speak). This term emerged in the 17th-18th centuries, influenced by classical rhetoric.

Kelly Says

In an age of Twitter and texts, breviloquence is ironically fashionable again—but Cicero himself would have appreciated speakers who said 'no' instead of a 10-minute explanation!

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