different between brief vs breve

English

Etymology

From Middle English breef, breve, bref, from Old French brief, bref, from Latin brevis (“short”), from Proto-Indo-European *mré??us (“short, brief”). Doublet of merry.

Pronunciation

• enPR: br?f, IPA^(key): /b?i?f/
• Rhymes: -i?f

Adjective

brief (comparative briefer, superlative briefest)

1. Of short duration; happening quickly. [from 15th c.]
2. Concise; taking few words. [from 15th c.]
3. Occupying a small distance, area or spatial extent; short. [from 17th c.]
   • 1983, Robert Drewe, The Bodysurfers, Penguin 2009, p. 17:

     On the beach he always wore a straw hat with a red band and a brief pair of leopard print trunks.

4. (obsolete) Rife; common; prevalent.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:ephemeral
• See also Thesaurus:concise

Derived terms

• briefen
• briefly

Related terms

• brevity

Translations

Noun

brief (plural briefs)

1. (law) A writ summoning one to answer; an official letter or mandate.
2. (law) An answer to any action.
   • 1996, Japanese Rules of Civil Procedure^[4], Article 79, Section 1:

     A written answer or any other brief shall be submitted to the court while allowing a period necessary for the opponent to make preparations with regard to the matters stated therein.

3. (law) A memorandum of points of fact or of law for use in conducting a case.
4. (by extension, figuratively) A position of interest or advocacy.
5. (law) An attorney's legal argument in written form for submission to a court.
6. (English law) The material relevant to a case, delivered by a solicitor to the barrister who tries the case.
7. A short news story or report.
8. (usually in the plural) underwear briefs.

9. (obsolete) A summary, précis or epitome; an abridgement or abstract.
   • 1589, Thomas Nashe, The Anatomie of Absurditie^[5]:

     […] euen ?o it fareth with mee, who béeing about to anatomize Ab?urditie, am vrged to take a view of ?undry mens vanitie, a ?uruey of their follie, a briefe of their barbari?me […]
10. (Britain, historical) A letter patent, from proper authority, authorizing a collection or charitable contribution of money in churches, for any public or private purpose.
11. (slang) A ticket of any type.

Derived terms

• briefs
• control brief

Translations

References

• John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) , “brief”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ?ISBN

Verb

brief (third-person singular simple present briefs, present participle briefing, simple past and past participle briefed)

1. (transitive) To summarize a recent development to some person with decision-making power.

2. (transitive, law) To write a legal argument and submit it to a court.

Derived terms

• debrief

Translations

Adverb

brief (comparative more brief, superlative most brief)

1. (obsolete, poetic) Briefly.
2. (obsolete, poetic) Soon; quickly.

Related terms

• briefing
• brevity

References

Further reading

• brief in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• brief in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• brief at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• FBIer, fiber, fibre

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch brief, from Middle Dutch brief, from Old Dutch [Term?], from Latin brevis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /brif/

Noun

brief (plural briewe)

1. letter (written message)

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch brief, from Old Dutch [Term?], borrowed from Latin brevis (“short”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /brif/
• Hyphenation: brief
• Rhymes: -if

Noun

brief m (plural brieven, diminutive briefje n)

1. letter (written message)

Derived terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: brief
• ? Sranan Tongo: brifi

References

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French brief.

Adjective

brief m (feminine singular briefve, masculine plural briefs, feminine plural briefves)

1. brief; short

Descendants

• French: bref

Old French

Alternative forms

• bref

Etymology

From Latin brevis.

Adjective

brief m (oblique and nominative feminine singular brieve)

1. brief, short in length

Declension

Derived terms

• briement

Noun

brief m (oblique plural briés, nominative singular briés, nominative plural brief)

1. (short) letter or statement

Descendants

• Middle French: brief
  • French: bref
• ? Middle English: bref, breef, breve, brefe, breefe
  • English: brief, breve
  • Scots: brief, brieve, breef, briefe

English

Etymology

From Middle English breve, variant of bref, from Old French brieve, breve (feminine form of brief, bref), from Latin brevis (“short”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b?i?v/, /b??v/
• Rhymes: -i?v, -?v

Noun

breve (plural breves)

1. (orthography, printing) A semicircular diacritical mark (?) placed above a vowel, commonly used to mark its quantity as short.

   Synonym: micron

   Antonym: macron

2. (music) A double whole note.
3. (law) Any writ or precept under seal, issued out of any court.
4. (zoology) A pitta, all of which have more or less short tails.

Related terms

Translations

See also

• half note
• longa
• whole note

Further reading

• breve on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Bever, bever

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bre?v?/, [?b??e?v?], [?b??e?w?]

Noun

breve n pl

1. indefinite plural of brev

Dutch

Etymology

From Latin brevis (“short”). This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?bre?.v?/
• Hyphenation: bre?ve
• Rhymes: -e?v?

Noun

breve f (plural breves, diminutive brevetje n)

1. (orthography) breve

Anagrams

• bever

Interlingua

Adjective

breve (comparative plus breve, superlative le plus breve)

1. short

Italian

Etymology 1

From Latin brevis (“short”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?br?.ve/
• Rhymes: -?ve
• Hyphenation: brè?ve

Adjective

breve (plural brevi)

1. brief, short

   Synonym: corto

   Antonym: lungo

2. (literary) narrow

   Synonyms: angusto, stretto

   Antonyms: ampio, largo

3. (prosody) short

Derived terms

Adverb

breve

1. (literary) briefly

   Synonym: brevemente

Noun

breve f (plural brevi)

1. (prosody) short (short vowel or syllable)
2. (typography) breve (the diacritical mark ?)
3. (music) breve (double whole note)

Derived terms

• dibreve

Etymology 2

From Medieval Latin breve, from Latin brevis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?br?.ve/
• Rhymes: -?ve
• Hyphenation: brè?ve

Noun

breve m (plural brevi)

1. (historical, Middle Ages) A document recording a business transaction.
2. (historical, Middle Ages) An oath sworn by magistrates of a medieval commune.
3. (historical, Middle Ages, by extension) The statute of a commune. [13^th-14^th c.]
4. (Christianity) An official papal document, less solemn than a bull.
5. (obsolete, by extension) A strip of paper with a short writing thereon.
6. (Christianity) A small bundle containing a saint's relic or written prayers.
7. (obsolete) talisman, amulet

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the main entry.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?bre.ve/
• Rhymes: -eve
• Hyphenation: bré?ve

Noun

breve f pl

1. plural of breva

References

• breve¹ in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
• breve² in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Latin

Adjective

breve

1. nominative neuter singular of brevis
2. accusative neuter singular of brevis
3. vocative neuter singular of brevis

Middle English

Adjective

breve

1. Alternative form of bref

Noun

breve

1. Alternative form of bref

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin brevis (“short”), from Proto-Indo-European *mré??us.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /?b??.v?/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /?b??.vi/, [?b??.v?]
• Hyphenation: bre?ve

Adjective

breve m or f (plural breves, comparable)

1. brief, short

   Synonym: curto

   Antonym: longo

2. summarized
3. minute (very small)

Derived terms

• até breve
• em breve

Related terms

• brevidade

Noun

breve f (plural breves)

1. (music) a double whole note (US) or breve (UK)
2. (phonetics) a syllable or vowel that is quickly pronounced

Noun

breve m (plural breves)

1. a Papal brief

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin brevis (“short”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?b?ebe/, [?b?e.??e]

Adjective

breve (plural breves) (superlative brevísimo)

1. brief, short

   Synonym: corto

   Antonym: largo

Derived terms