Pithily

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In an expressive way that significantly reduces verbosity while clearly conveying essential ideas
2. By communicating in a manner that is both succinct and impactful, emphasizing clarity and brevity
3. Expressing ideas with brief but powerful clarity without unnecessary words

Etymology: "Pithily" is simply "pithy" with the adverbial ending "-ly" attached, so its story is really the story of "pithy" plus a suffix that has been around for a very long time. The suffix descends from Proto-Germanic "*-līkaz", meaning "having the form or appearance of", and it passed through Old English "-līce" and Middle English "-ly" before settling into the modern form. That is why the same ending shows up in words like "lovely" and "quickly." The base word, "pithy", comes from "pith", the spongy central core of a plant stem, which may ultimately trace back to the same ancient root as "fat" or "fatten" in the Germanic languages. A pithy remark, then, is one with its substance concentrated at the centre, much as a stalk's pith is its dense heart.

Synonyms: succinctly, briefly

Antonyms: wordily, lengthily