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terse

Syllabification: (terse)
Pronunciation: /tərs/

Translate terse | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of terse

adjective (terser, tersest)

  • sparing in the use of words; abrupt:a terse statement

Derivatives

tersely

adverb

terseness

noun

Origin:

early 17th century: from Latin tersus 'wiped, polished', from the verb tergere. The original sense was 'polished, trim, spruce', (relating to language) 'polished, polite', hence 'concise and to the point' (late 18th century)

terse in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of terse in the British & World English dictionary
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