- Today's Word
Laconic
luh-KON-ik
Definition
(adjective) Using very few words; brief and concise in speech or expression.
Example
Her laconic reply — just two words, “it’s fine” — somehow managed to communicate everything and nothing at the same time.
Word Origin
From Latin Laconicus, derived from Greek Lakonikos, meaning “of or relating to Laconia” — the region of ancient Greece of which Sparta was the capital. The Spartans were famously trained from childhood to speak in short, direct, and pointed phrases, viewing lengthy speech as a sign of weakness or poor discipline. The word entered English in the 16th century as a direct tribute to this cultural practice.
Fun Fact
The Spartans didn’t just have a reputation for brevity — they produced some of the most celebrated one-liners in ancient history. When Philip II of Macedon sent a threatening message to Sparta warning that if he entered Laconia he would raze it to the ground, the Spartan ephors sent back a single word: “If.” Philip never invaded. When a messenger arrived and asked whether the Spartans had any reply to a long diplomatic letter, the response was reportedly “No.” These exchanges were so well known in antiquity that the practice of short, pointed replies became permanently attached to the region’s name — giving English the word laconic as well as the related term laconism.