If you abridge a book or play, you make it shorter by making cuts to the original.

Something that happens unexpectedly and by chance that is not inherent or natural to a given item or situation is adventitious, such as a root appearing in an unusual place on a plant.

Something austere is simple and plain in its style; an austere person is strict and severe with themselves.

Something that is canonical is accepted as being accurate and authoritative—it possesses all the qualities that a thing of its kind should have.

A cardinal rule or quality is considered to be the most important or basic in a set of rules or qualities.

Chaff is the husks of grain separated from the edible plant; it can also be useless matter in general that is cast aside.

A compendium is a detailed collection of information on a particular or specific subject, usually in a book.

A constituent part of something makes up part of the whole thing.

Those things that constitute something form or make it up.

The crux of a problem or argument is the most important or difficult part of it that affects everything else.

If you cull items or information, you gather them from a number of different places in a selective manner.

A cynosure is an object that serves as the center of attention.

A deficit occurs when a person or government spends more money than has been received.

When you deplete a supply of something, you use it up or lessen its amount over a given period of time.

Detritus is the small pieces of waste that remain after something has been destroyed or used.

Dross can also be the worthless remains of something.

Efficacy is the ability or power to produce an expected effect or result.

An epigram is a short poem or sentence that expresses something, such as a feeling or idea, in a short, clever, and amusing way.

An exiguous amount of something is meager, small, or limited in nature.

An exorbitant price or fee is much higher than what it should be or what is considered reasonable.

Something that is extraneous is not relevant or connected to something else, or it is not essential to a given situation.

Someone who is feckless is incompetent and lacks the determination or skill to achieve much of anything at all in life.

A glut of anything is an excess or too much of it.

If something is gratuitous, it is freely given; nevertheless, it is usually unnecessary and can be harmful or upsetting.

An indispensable item is absolutely necessary or essential—it cannot be done without.

An inherent characteristic is one that exists in a person at birth or in a thing naturally.

An innate quality of someone is present since birth or is a quality of something that is essential to it.

If something is inordinate, it is much larger in amount or degree than is normally expected.

Something that is integral to something else is an essential or necessary part of it.

If you are inundated with something, you have so much of it that you cannot easily deal with it; likewise, if too much rain inundates an area, it causes flooding.

Irrelevant information is unrelated or unconnected to the situation at hand.

A person who is being laconic uses very few words to say something.

A luminary is someone who is much admired in a particular profession because they are an accomplished expert in their field.

When you behave with moderation, you live in a balanced and measured way; you do nothing to excess.

Something that is otiose is unnecessary, worthless, ineffective, or impractical; an otiose person is lazy and thus ineffective.

Something that is of paramount importance or significance is chief or supreme in those things.

A pithy statement or piece of writing is brief but intelligent; it is also precise and to the point.

Something that is pivotal is more important than anything else in a situation or a system; consequently, it is the key to its success.

A plethora of something is too much of it.

Prattle is mindless chatter that seems like it will never stop.

Something predominant is the most important or the most common thing in a group.

Something that is prolix, such as a lecture or speech, is excessively wordy; consequently, it can be tiresome to read or listen to.

If something is redundant, it exceeds what is necessary or is needlessly wordy or repetitive.

A scant amount of something is a very limited or slight amount of it; hence, it is inadequate or insufficient in size or quantity.

A spartan lifestyle is very simple and severe; it has no luxuries or comforts.

Something that is succinct is clearly and briefly explained without using any unnecessary words.

If you have a surfeit of something, you have much more than what you need.

When you are presented with a synoptic view of a written work or subject, you receive a summary or general overview of the entirety of its contents.

A taciturn person is quiet or silent by nature.

To be terse in speech is to be short and to the point, often in an abrupt manner that may seem unfriendly.

If you truncate something, you make it shorter or quicker by removing or cutting off part of it.

Something that is verbose, such as a speech or article, contains too many words.