brevity

Brevity is the quality of expressing a lot with few words. In writing and speaking, it means conciseness—the ability to convey the intended meaning clearly while using as few words as necessary. Brevity is often pursued to respect the reader's or listener's time and to increase the message's impact, but it must not come at the expense of clarity.

Etymology: The term derives from the Latin breuitas, meaning shortness, through Old French and Middle English forms. The idea behind brevity is universal across languages: to communicate effectively with minimal length.

In practice: Strategies to achieve brevity include choosing precise words, eliminating redundancy, avoiding filler phrases, and using active voice and straightforward sentence structure. In many genres, brevity is a guideline rather than a hard rule; the goal is to tailor length to purpose and audience. Shakespeare’s line “Brevity is the soul of wit” is often cited to illustrate traditional esteem for conciseness, though it is spoken in a context that critiques verbose courtroom rhetoric.

Applications: News writing and executive summaries emphasize brevity; legal and technical drafting sometimes requires a careful balance to preserve meaning while reducing verbosity. In public speaking, conciseness helps maintain attention and retention; in creative writing, brevity can enhance rhythm and impact.

Limitations: Excessive brevity can obscure nuance, context, or tone. The aim is not to strip language to the bare minimum but to remove unnecessary components while preserving meaning.