Curio
Today

laconic

luh-KAH-nik · adjective

Ancient GreekLatinEnglish

Origin

From Latin Lacōnicus, meaning "Spartan," itself from Ancient Greek Λακωνικός (Lakōnikós), "Laconian."

This is Curio: one word's origin story, every morning. No feed, no backlog.

One short email each morning. Free; stop anytime. See a sample →

Journey

Laconia was the region ruled by the Spartans, who were famous for their terse, clipped way of speaking. The place name eventually became a word describing that very trait of brevity.

Related words

It shares its root with "Laconia" and "Laconian," the geographic names for the Spartans' homeland — the adjective is essentially a description of their reputation turned into everyday vocabulary.

More words

From Ancient Greek

Nearby, A–Z

All words A–Z →