Conspectus
[kən-SPEK-təs]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, 1830s
1.
A summary or overview of a subject.
Examples of Conspectus in a sentence
"Professor Wells posted the course conspectus online."
"The paper was a good conspectus of the impact of social media on larger society."
About Conspectus
This word stems from the Latin “conspectus,” meaning a “a looking at, sight, view; range or power of vision.” It is the noun use of the past participle of “conspicere,” meaning “to look at,” which originates from “specere,” meaning “to look at.”
Did you Know?
“Conspectus” sounds like another word that’s more common in modern English: “prospectus.” They also share a Latin root, “specere,” which means “to look at.” While “conspectus” means “an overview of a particular subject,” “prospectus” means “a printed document that advertises or describes a school, commercial enterprise, forthcoming book, etc., in order to attract or inform clients, members, buyers, or investors.”
