COMPENDIOUS, adjective 1. Short; summary; abridged; comprehensive; containing the substance or general principles of a subject or work in a narrow compas; as a compendious system of chimistry; a compendious grammar. 2. Short; direct; near; not circuitous; as a compendious way to acquire science.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI