Apercu, SYNOPSIS, RECAP, PRECIS, and VITA are all terms used to describe a brief summary. APERCU is a French term meaning a brief overview or summary. SYNOPSIS is a Greek term meaning a brief summary of the main points of an argument or text. RECAP is a shortening of the phrase 'RECAPITULATION, ' which means to summarize or review the main points of something. PRECIS is a Latin term meaning a concise summary of a text or speech. Finally, VITA is a Latin term meaning a brief biography or summary of one's life.