Origin: Greek prefix syn-
Synopsis has 2 different meanings across 1 category:
A brief summary of the major points of a written work, either as prose or as a table; an abridgment or condensation of a work.
"The professor handed out a synopsis of the novel to help students grasp the main plot points before reading the full text."
In plain English: A synopsis is a short summary that gives you the main points of something without getting into all the details.
"The professor asked each student to present a brief synopsis of their research project before starting the detailed discussion."
Usage: Use synopsis to describe a concise overview that captures the main plot points without detailing every scene. It is often preferred over "summary" when presenting structured outlines for films, books, or proposals rather than general recaps.
The word comes from the Late Latin synopsis, which was borrowed from Ancient Greek to mean a "whole view." It entered English with this original sense of seeing everything at once rather than in detail.