Adjective

(en adjective)

(obsolete, of a weapon etc) Sharp-pointed; keen.

* 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , VII:

His siluer shield, now idle maisterlesse; / His poynant speare, that many made to bleed [...].

Incisive; penetrating.

His comments were poignant and witty.

neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant.

A poignant reply will garner more credence than hours of blown smoke.

Evoking strong mental sensation, to the point of distress; emotionally moving.

Flipping through his high school yearbook evoked many a poignant memory of yesteryear.

(figuratively, of a taste or smell) Piquant, pungent.

Piercing.

(dated, mostly British) Inducing sharp physical pain.

Adjective

(er)

(obsolete) Polished, burnished; smooth; fine, neat, spruce.

(of speech or style) Brief, concise, to the point.

* 1907 , , title page:

"A consise and comprehensive dictionary of general knowledge consisting of over 16,000 terse and original articles on nearly all subjects discussed in larger encyclopaedias,"

* {{quote-news, year=2012, date=June 4, author=Lewis Smith, work=the Guardian

, title= Queen's English Society says enuf is enough, innit? , passage=Having attempted to identify a role for the society and its magazine, Quest, "for the next 40 years", the society chairman, Rhea Williams, decided it was time to close. She announced the group's demise in a terse message to members following the annual meeting, which just 22 people attended.}}

Abruptly or brusquely short.