[lyby]

I keep a dictionary close at hand and constantly use it, helps do exactly what you described, get to precise meanings.

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As do I. However, a definition only does not fully convey meaning as relates to the nuances of communication/interaction.

I am grateful for this thread for many reasons, the most recent of which is a clearer understanding of the word terse.

[little jeremiah]

The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr and E.B.White is a great book about writing clearly and just enough, not too much.