pith

Soft plant center

Pith is the soft, spongy tissue at the center of plant stems and branches, or the white layer beneath citrus rind.

By extension, pith means the essential part or core of something: the pith of the argument.

Pithy speech is concise and forceful—getting straight to the substance.

To pith an animal is to kill it by destroying the spinal cord, a technique used in laboratory dissection.

essence

core

Central essential portion

heartCirculatory system's pump
kernelSeed or essential core
cruxMost important point

nucleus · quintessence · gist · nub · substance · soul · root · fundamental · central · basis

conciseness

brevity

Shortness of expression

succinctnessQuality of being brief
terseBrief to bluntness
laconicBrief in expression

compact · epigrammatic · aphoristic · crisp · trenchant · pointed · incisive · curt · telegraphic · economical

plant-tissue

medulla

Innermost organ tissue

parenchymaFunctional tissue of organs
spongySoft and absorbent
cortexOrgan's external tissue

stem · vascular · xylem · phloem · cambium · cellulose · herbaceous · woody · fibrous · tissue

vigor

force

Strength or compulsion

forcefulnessPowerful assertive quality
strengthPower to exert force
powerEnergy transfer rate

potency · punch · impact · weight · substance · cogency · effectiveness · persuasiveness · trenchancy · incisiveness

marrow

bone marrow

Blood cell birthplace

medullaInnermost organ tissue
spinalOf the backbone
skeletonInternal supportive framework

bone · cartilage · hematopoiesis · osteology · femur · tibia · transplant · biopsy · myeloid · erythrocytes

Categories

fruit anatomypericarp, endocarp, flesh, pulp, skin
feathersfeather, feathers, plume, down feathers, quill
plant anatomyroot, stem, leaves, stems, leaf
Plant-Relatedplant, leaf, root, stem, bark
food partsseed, stem, leaf, root, skin
plant partsleaf, stem, root, leaves, flower

Opposites

physical structure

pithbark

Sharp canine vocalization

rind · outer layer · cortex · skin · exterior

essence vs. superficiality

pithsuperficiality

Absence of meaningful depth

triviality · insignificance · fluff · periphery · inessentials

communication style

Unnecessary word excess

wordiness · long-windedness · prolixity · circumlocution · rambling

Phrases

pith helmetLightweight tropical sun hat
pithy remarksBrief, forceful comments
pithy sayingsTerse, memorable expressions
pithy statementsTerse, meaningful expressions
pithy expressionsCompact, meaningful phrases

Family

pithy, pithiness, pithily

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G