different between brief vs sesquipedalian

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 sesquipedal +? -ian (adjective- and noun-forming suffix), root from Latin sesquipedalis (literally “a foot and a half long”), from Latin s?squi (“one and a half times”) + Latin ped?lis (“measuring a foot”) (form of pes (“foot”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?s?skw?p??de?l??n/
• Hyphenation: ses?qui?pe?da?li?an

Noun

sesquipedalian (plural sesquipedalians)

1. A long word.
   • 1830, On the Art of Rising in Prose The New Monthly Magazine and Literary Journal, part 2, v. 29, Henry Colburn and Co., page: 162:

     “The fine old fellow,” as a Northern contemporary of ours patronizingly calls him, certainly rolled out his sesquipedalians with a majesty previously unknown, and gave a fine organ-like swell to his full-blow periods;

   • 1927, John S. Farmer, William Ernest Henley, A Dictionary of Slang and Colloquial English: Abridged from the Seven-volume Work, Entitled "Slang and Its Analogues", Taylor & Francis, page: 164:

     Fleet-streetese, the so-called English written to sell by the Fleet-streeter (q.v.), or baser sort of journalist: a mixture of sesquipedalians and slang, of phrases worn threadbare and phrases sprung from the kennel;

   • 1952, Hannah More, Syndics of the Cambridge University Press, page: 220:

     ‘Sometimes we converse in ballad-rhymes, sometimes in Johnsonian sesquipedalians; at tea we condescend to riddles and charades.’

2. A person who uses long words.
   • 2008, Richard Dawkins, The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing,Oxford University Press, page: 106:

     Word-watchers, verbivores, and sesquipedalians love a challenge.

   • 2009, Sally Adams, Wynford Hicks, Interviewing for Journalists, Taylor & Francis, page: 97:

     ‘What sort of writer is the English professor looking for?’ / ‘He wants a sesquipedalian, of course.’

   • 2012, Jonathan Herring, How to Argue: Powerfully, Persuasively, Positively, FT Press, chapter 8, page: ?:

     Don’t be a sesquipedalian! / Yes, you guessed right. A sesquipedalian is a person who enjoys long words.

Translations

Adjective

sesquipedalian (comparative more sesquipedalian, superlative most sesquipedalian)

1. (of a word or words) Long; polysyllabic.

   The most common use of "antidisestablishmentarianism" is as an example of a sesquipedalian word.
2. Pertaining to or given to the use of overly long words.

   Our dinner guest was so sesquipedalian that no one could understand what he said.

Synonyms

• (of long words): polysyllabic
• (given to the use of long words): See Thesaurus:verbose

Antonyms

• (of long words): monosyllabic, brachysyllabic
• (given to the use of long words): See Thesaurus:concise

Derived terms

• sesquipedalianism – literary style characterised by the use of long words.
• sesquipedalianist – a writer using sesquipedalianism.
• sesquipedalophobia – fear of long words.

Related terms

• hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia
• sesquipedal
• sesquipedality

Translations

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “sesquipedalian”, in Online Etymology Dictionary