Synopses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A concise summary or outline that captures the main ideas or themes of a larger text or work
2. Multiple brief descriptions that provide an overview of different subjects or topics within literature, film, or other media
3. An encapsulation of crucial points, often used to present or critique complex narratives in a simplified format

Etymology: "Synopses" is the plural of "synopsis", so it describes the several condensed overviews of a longer work or subject. The singular goes back to Ancient Greek "súnopsis", built from "sún", meaning "with" or "together", and "ópsis", meaning "view" or "sight". Put together, the word literally meant a "whole view", a single glance taking in everything at once. That idea of seeing a whole thing at a glance carried into Late Latin as "synopsis", and English later borrowed the term. The plural follows the Greek and Latin pattern, with the "-is" ending becoming "-es". Each synopsis is therefore a compressed view of a whole, offering the shape of a book, play or film without the full text.

Synonyms: summaries, outlines, abstracts, overviews, digest