Compendency

/kəmˈpɛndənsi/ noun

Definition

The quality or state of being compendious; the capacity to present information in a brief, comprehensive, and efficient manner.

Etymology

From compendious (concise and comprehensive) plus the suffix -cy, which forms nouns indicating a quality or state. The root traces back to Latin compendium, originally meaning 'a saving of expense.'

Kelly Says

Compendency is extraordinarily rare—it barely appears even in historical texts. Yet it captures something important that modern English struggles to express: the *virtue* or *skill* of being concise without losing comprehensiveness. It's the quality good textbooks should have.

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