From a French word meaning "to sum up," résumé (pronounced with both e's sounding like long a) is only a fancy word for summary, a brief but comprehensive presentation of facts or statements: "This summary is a terse statement of the main points made in your editorial." Both résumé and summary are usually applied to works of nonfiction such as history, biography, and magazine articles. Synopsis (from Greek words meaning "seeing with one's own eyes") also refers to a statement providing a brief, general review or condensation; it is most often used in connection with retelling the plot of a novel, story, or play. One may write a résumé or a summary of the Declaration of Independence and a synopsis of the plot of Huckleberry Finn. Related words include digest, brief, abstract, and outline.
Dictionary of problem words and expressions. Harry Shaw. 1975.