What does "laconic" mean?

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 14:27:32 -0700, Peter A. McGraw wrote:

>--On Wednesday, August 17, 2005 5:14 PM -0400 Benjamin Zimmer
><bgzimmer at RCI.RUTGERS.EDU> wrote:
>
>> That "-onic" ending might also connote to some a kind of cold,
>> mechanistic nature... robotic, perhaps?
>
>Like demonic, moronic, Platonic, Masonic, bubonic...?

I was thinking more about words ending in "-tronic" (electronic,
animatronic, psychotronic, Technotronic), "-phonic" (stereophonic,
quadraphonic, telephonic), and "-sonic" (supersonic, ultrasonic,
Cybersonic). And throw in "monotonic" and "Teutonic" for good measure!


--Ben Zimmer