/ tɜːs; NAmE tɜːrs/ adjective
using few words and often not seeming polite or friendly :
a terse style
The President issued a terse statement denying the charges.
► terse·ly adverb
► terse·ness noun [ U ]
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent.: from Latin tersus wiped, polished, from the verb tergere . The original sense was polished, trim, spruce , (relating to language) polished, polite , hence concise and to the point (late 18th cent.).