Kürze

Kürze is a German noun meaning brevity or conciseness—the quality of being short or concise in speech or writing. It is derived from the adjective kurz, with the abstract noun suffix -e. In everyday language, the phrase in Kürze can mean “in a short time” or “in brief,” and die Kürze der Rede refers to the brevity of a speech.

In rhetoric and style, Kürze is valued as a hallmark of clarity and efficiency. The expression kunst der Kürze, the art of brevity, is often used to describe skilled concision in prose and oratory. Achieving Kürze typically involves prioritizing essential information, removing tangential details, and choosing precise terms. Proper Kürze aims to balance completeness with compactness; excessive brevity can risk vagueness, while too much detail can obscure the main point.

Related terms include Prägnanz (conciseness or cogency), Knappheit (shortness in quantity or density), and Kompaktheit (compactness). Conversely, Kürzung denotes shortening or cutting, and Kürzel or Abkürzung refer to abbreviations or acronyms.

In journalism, academia, and public discourse, Kürze is a practical objective: conveying the core message with minimal but sufficient wording. Beyond style, the concept also informs linguistic discussions about how much information is necessary for understanding, and how word choice affects clarity and impact.