Word of the Day

: March 2, 2017

laconic

adjective luh-KAH-nik

What It Means

: using or involving the use of a minimum of words : concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious

laconic in Context

The reporters had a hard time getting the laconic quarterback to share his thoughts after the tough loss.

"Far from laconic, Penny is steeped with a positive attitude as she greets students with a smile and asks for their omelet request. With a voracious appetite for conversation, Penny's outgoing personality draws a throng of students to her omelet line." — Haley Thompson, The Courier (Monmouth College), 3 Feb. 2017

Did You Know?

Laconia was an ancient country in southern Greece, bordering on the Aegean and the Mediterranean seas. Its capital city was Sparta, and the Spartans were famous for their terseness of speech. Laconic comes to us by way of Latin from Greek Lakōnikos, which is derived from Lakōn, meaning "native of Laconia." It has been with us since the 16th century and has sometimes been used with the basic meaning "of or relating to Laconia or its inhabitants" (though we're more apt to use Laconian for this meaning today). In current use, laconic means "terse" or "concise," and thus recalls the Spartan tendency to use the fewest words possible.