synopsis
UK /sɪˈnɒpsɪs/ · US /sɪˈnɑpsɪs/ noun
Forms synopses
- noun (literature, writing) A brief summary of the major points of a written work, either as prose or as a table; an abridgment or condensation of a work.
- noun A reference work containing brief articles that taken together give an overview of an entire field.
- noun (Christianity) A prayer book for use by the laity of the church.
Synonyms
abridgment abstract conspectus outline overview summary precis
Etymology
From Late Latin synopsis, itself from Ancient Greek σύνοψις (súnopsis), from σύν (sún, “with or whole”) + ὄψις (ópsis, “view”) meaning whole view.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A general view, or a collection of heads or parts so arranged as to exhibit a general view of the whole; an abstract or summary of a discourse; a syllabus; a conspectus.
Etymology [L., from Gr. optic.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “synopsis”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details