noun
or abridge·ment -jmənt
( -s )
1. : action of abridging : state of being abridged
2. : a shortened form of a work produced by condensation and omission but retaining the general meaning and manner of presentation of the original : compendium
3. : a brief statement of a subject : an epitome of general outlines or principles : synopsis ; specifically : any of various brief statements of case law made before modern reporting of cases
Synonyms:
abridgment , abstract , brief , synopsis , conspectus , epitome : these terms all denote a condensation of a larger work or more extended, although often only prospective, treatment. abridgment implies reduction in compass yet retention of relative completeness, usually with the retention too of something of the manner of the original
all abridgments of encyclopedic treatments, even when they are the work of their own authors, must inevitably suffer — Paul Radin
he delivers an abridgment of the famous opening soliloquy with little regard for metrical or musical values — Henry Hewes
a 50-page abridgment of a full-length novel
An abstract is a summary of a document, treatise, or proposed treatment giving the salient points, usually in the order of presentation, with usually no claim to independent worth
accounts of ancient and modern political unions … He made abstracts of them — H.E.Scudder
this pamphlet contains an abstract of the hunting and trapping law as contained in the Biennial Revision — Maine Hunting & Trapping Laws
A brief is an abstract of a case or argument, especially in law
prepared an extended brief to support his position — American Guide Series: Oregon
two briefs submitted by lawyers — M.R.Cohen
it became in time the principal brief and basic blueprint for the expansion of the Air Force — Gordon Harrison
synopsis usually implies a skeletal presentation, especially of a narrative or proposed narrative, that can be apprehended in a moment or rapidly
a synopsis of an argument
the synopsis is an outline of three or four typewritten pages containing the barest summary of character and action … made for the convenience of the producer — V.I.Pudovkin
conspectus implies a quick overall but relatively complete view of something complex or extremely detailed on more leisurely careful examination
a detached and objective conspectus of the ideological background and basis of Soviet communism — Times Literary Supplement
the book … will contain a full conspectus of the published treatises — Mediaeval Academy News
a detailed conspectus of this society's values — J.J.Spengler
epitome suggests the briefest possible condensation yet extreme accuracy in presentation, a complex whole in miniature, usually with an independent value as a whole
having an epitome of all these findings upon a single sheet — L.F.Barker
epitomes of British novels circulated widely — H.R.Warfel
the title is a neat epitome of the contents — Current Biography