Breviloquence: A brief, laconic, terse way of speaking. Brevity of speech.
When Alexander’s father, King Philip, threatened to attack the Spartans, he said: “If I invade Laconia (homeland of the Spartans), I will raze it to the ground.” The Spartans responded with bevilioquence, “If”.
Breviloquence comes from two Latin words. Brevis means short and loquor. which means “I speak”. From loquor, English also derives the words eloquence, allocution, and circumlocution.
