The adjective is derived from Late Middle English succinte, succynt (“having one’s waist encircled with something, girdled; brief, concise, succinct”), borrowed from Old French succinct (modern French succinct), or directly from its etymon Latin succīnctus (“belted, girdled; enclosed or tightly wrapped; (figurative) concise, succinct; etc.”), the perfect passive participle of succingō (“to gather or tuck up with a belt, etc.”), from suc- (a variant of sub- (prefix meaning ‘under’), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *upó (“from below; up”)) + cingō (“to encircle, surround; to gird”) (further etymology uncertain). The adverb is derived from the adjective.
1
Archaic Encircled by, or as if by, a girdle; drawn up or wrapped tightly.
The Tovvne is moſt beautified, by a vaſt Garden of the Kings, ſuccinct vvith a great tovvred mud-vvall, larger than the Circuit of the Citie.1634, T[homas] H[erbert], “Tyroan”, in A Relation of Some Yeares Trauaile, Begunne Anno 1626. into Afrique and the Greater Asia, […], London: […] William Stansby, and Jacob Bloome, →OCLC, page 115:
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Svvift to the hall they haſte; aſide they lay / Their garments, and ſuccinct, the victims [animals] ſlay.1726, Homer, “Book XVII”, in [Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume IV, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC, page 116, lines 199–200:
Placid her pose, the calm of energy; / And over her broad brow in many a round / (That loosened would have gilt her garment's hem), / Succinct, as toil prescribes, the hair was wound / In lustrous coils, a natural diadem.1876 December, James Russell Lowell, “An Ode for the Fourth of July, 1876”, in Three Memorial Poems, Boston, Mass.: James R[ipley] Osgood and Company, late Ticknor & Fields, and Fields, Osgood, & Co., published 1877, →OCLC, canto I, page 72:
2
Biology, Entomology, Natural sciencesArchaic, Broadly Of some pupae: encircled by a thread of silk around the centre.
3
Also, Archaic, Poetic Of clothes: not loose; close-fitting, tight-fitting.
[W]ings he vvore / Of many a colourd plume ſprinkl'd vvith Gold, / His habit fit for ſpeed ſuccinct, and held / Before his decent ſteps a Silver vvand.1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC, signature L, recto, lines 651–654:
Four Knaves in garbs ſuccinct, a truſty band, / Caps on their heads, and halberds in their hand; […]1714, Alexander Pope, “The Rape of the Lock”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], published 1717, →OCLC, canto III, page 140:
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During this time, sister Ursula, to give her for the last time her conventual name, exchanged her stole, or loose upper garment, for the more succinct cloak and hood of a horseman.1831 June–November (date written), Jedadiah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter V, in Tales of My Landlord, Fourth and Last Series. […], volume IV (Castle Dangerous), Edinburgh: […] [Ballantyne and Company] for Robert Cadell; London: Whittaker and Co., published 1 December 1831 (indicated as 1832), →OCLC, pages 159–160:
[S]he could not but contrast the splendour of the Polish retinues and their plumages and draperies, with the strait-buttoned Prussian dignitaries, all in mere soldier uniform, succinct 'blue coat, white linen gaiters,' and no superfluity even in the epaulettes and red facings.1858, Thomas Carlyle, “Visit to Dresden”, in History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great, volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, book VI, page 38:
4
Figuratively Compressed into a small area; compact.
Unlike general lossless data compression algorithms, succinct data structures retain the ability to use them in-place, without decompressing them first.
The admirable and inimitable feature of Man, ſupplied and adorned vvith the innumerable teſtimonies of a Deitie: inſomuch, that not vvithout great cauſe hee is ſtiled a little and ſuccinct vvorld vvithin himſelfe; in vvhom there is a perſpicuous knovvledge to diſtinguiſh good from euill, vvhich is the rule by vvhich to direct all the neceſſarie actions of humane life: […]1635, Tho[mas] Heywood, “The Second Tractate: The Cherubim. Theologicall, Philosophicall, Poeticall, Historicall, Apothegmaticall, Hierogriphicall and Emblematicall Obseruations, Touching the Further Illustration of the Former Tractate.”, in The Hierarchie of the Blessed Angells. […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, pages 82–83:
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Their poor bits of preciosities and heirlooms they have with them; made up in succinct bundles, stowed on ticketed baggage-wains: […]1858, Thomas Carlyle, “The Salzburgers”, in History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great, volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, book IX, page 417:
To stay a square-rigged ship is an affair of knowledge and swift sight: and a man used to the succinct evolutions of a schooner will always tend to be too hasty with a brig.1892, Robert Louis Stevenson, Lloyd Osbourne, “A Bad Bargain”, in The Wrecker, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, […], →OCLC, page 404:
5
Figuratively Of an action, etc.: lasting a short time; brief, curt.
Then ſuddenly, and vvith a ſuccinct bovv, bidding them all good bye, he took a haſty leave; […]1796, [Frances Burney], “How to Treat a Defamer”, in Camilla: Or, A Picture of Youth. […], volume IV, London: […] T[homas] Payne, […]; and T[homas] Cadell Jun. and W[illiam] Davies (successors to Mr. [Thomas] Cadell) […], →OCLC, book VIII, page 331:
With the rope round their neck, their destiny may be succinct!1837, Thomas Carlyle, “In the Salle de Manége”, in The French Revolution: A History […], volume II (The Constitution), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, book I (The Feast of Pikes), page 9:
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From a little behind, with his Sunday hat tilted forward over his brow and a cigar glowing between his lips, Captain Nares acknowledged our previous acquaintance with a succinct nod.1892, Robert Louis Stevenson, Lloyd Osbourne, “In which Jim and I Take Different Ways”, in The Wrecker, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, […], →OCLC, page 175:
6
Figuratively Of speech or writing: brief and to the point; concise.
You should give clear, succinct information to the clients.
[…] Apollo himſelfe loveth brevitie, and is in his oracles verie ſuccinct and pithy; […]1603, Plutarch, “Of Intemperate Speech or Garrulitie”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Philosophie, Commonlie Called, The Morals […], London: […] Arnold Hatfield, →OCLC, page 203:
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A ſtrict and ſuccinct ſtyle is that, vvhere you can take avvay nothing vvithout loſſe, and that loſſe to be manifeſt.a. 1638 (date written), Benjamin Jonson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Timber: Or, Discoveries; Made vpon Men and Matter: […]”, in The Workes of Benjamin Jonson. The Second Volume. […] (Second Folio), London: […] Richard Meighen, published 1641, →OCLC, page 119:
[T]he Saxon Annaliſt vvont to be ſober and ſuccinct, […] runs on a ſudden into ſuch extravagant fanſies and metaphors, as bare him quite beſide the ſcope of being underſtood.1670, John Milton, “The Fifth Book”, in The History of Britain, that Part Especially now Call’d England. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for James Allestry, […] , →OCLC, page 225:
But I must grow more succinct, and, as a Spectator, give an account of this extraordinary man, who, in his way, never had an equal in any age before him or in that wherein he lived.1712 September 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Richard Steele], “TUESDAY, August 27, 1712”, in The Spectator, number 468; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume V, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC, page 311:
In the beginning of the ſixteenth century, John Major and Hector Boethius publiſhed their hiſtories of Scotland, the former a ſuccinct and dry vvriter, the latter a copious and florid one, and both equally credulous.1759, William Robertson, “Book I”, in The History of Scotland, during the Reigns of Queen Mary and of King James VI, till His Accession to the Crown of England. […], volume I, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar […], →OCLC, page 4:
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English succinte, succynt (“having one’s waist encircled with something, girdled; brief, concise, succinct”), borrowed from Old French succinct (modern French succinct), or directly from its etymon Latin succīnctus (“belted, girdled; enclosed or tightly wrapped; (figurative) concise, succinct; etc.”), the perfect passive participle of succingō (“to gather or tuck up with a belt, etc.”), from suc- (a variant of sub- (prefix meaning ‘under’), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *upó (“from below; up”)) + cingō (“to encircle, surround; to gird”) (further etymology uncertain). The adverb is derived from the adjective.
1
Obsolete Synonym of succinctly (“briefly, concisely”).
Very largely haue I inueighed againſt this vice [gluttony] elſvvhere, vvherefore heere I vvill truſſe it vp more ſurcinct;^([sic – meaning succinct]) […]1593, Tho[mas] Nashe, Christs Teares Over Ierusalem. […], London: […] Iames Roberts, and are to be solde by Andrewe Wise, […], →OCLC, folio 76, verso: