Compendent

/kəmˈpɛndənt/ adjective

Definition

Serving as a compendium or summary; concise and comprehensive; encompassing the essential elements in a brief form.

Etymology

From Latin compendens, related to compendium (a condensed version). The -ent suffix indicates a quality or state, similar to how 'prudent' means having prudence.

Kelly Says

Compendent is almost extinct, yet it's precisely what we'd call a reference book that somehow covers everything in 200 pages. The Romans would have recognized it immediately as describing their abbreviated military manuals and legal digests—efficiency was a virtue then too.

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