Epigrammatical

/ˌɛpɪɡræˈmætɪkəl/ adjective

Definition

Variant of epigrammatic; relating to or having the characteristics of an epigram.

Etymology

From 'epigram' plus the suffix '-atical' (an alternative, more formal version of '-atic'). This longer form appears in older texts and maintains a more classical, scholarly tone.

Kelly Says

English loves having both 'epigrammatic' and 'epigrammatical'—they mean the same thing, but 'epigrammatical' sounds stuffier, which ironically makes scholarly writing less witty when trying to describe something witty.

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