compendiosus

Compendiosus is a Latin adjective that translates roughly as “concise, compendious, or containing a summary.” In classical usage it described works or writings that are compact and thorough, presenting essential information in a condensed form. The term can also characterize things that are comprehensive in a summarized sense.

Etymology and formation derive from compendium, meaning a summary or condensed handbook, with the suffix -osus indicating possession or fullness. Thus compendiosus literally conveys “full of a compendium” or, more loosely in English, “bearing a concise, comprehensive content.”

In scholarly and taxonomic contexts, compendiosus appears primarily as an epithet in Latinized scientific names or as a descriptor in textual titles. While not among the most common species epithets, it may be used to evoke the idea of a compact or thoroughly summarized subject matter. Outside taxonomy, the word surfaces in historical or bibliographic texts to describe abridged or handbook-like works.

Relationship to related terms: compendious is the English cognate, sharing the sense of brevity accompanied by completeness. It is distinct from terms that emphasize mere brevity (brevissimus) or physical compactness (compactus). As a Latin adjective, compendiosus follows the grammatical patterns of -osus adjectives, agreeing with gender, number, and case in the noun it modifies.

See also: compendium, compendious, Latin adjectives.