brief
/ˈbɹif/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.52 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A memorandum of points of fact or of law for use in conducting a case.
Example Sentences
- "Her reign was brief but spectacular."
- "Some, how briefe the Life of man / runs his erring pilgrimage, / That the ſtretching of a ſpan, / buckles in his ſumme of age."
- "It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers."
- "That brief moment after the election four years ago, when many Americans thought Mr. Obama’s election would presage a new, less fractious political era, now seems very much a thing of the past."
- "His speech of acceptance was brief but moving."
- "The briefe ſtyle is that which expreſſeth much in little."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mreǵʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *mréǵʰusder. Proto-Italic *breɣʷis Latin brevisder. Old French briefbor. Old French brievebor. Middle English bref English brief From Middle English breef, breve, bref, from Old French brief, bref, from Latin brevis (“short”), from Proto-Indo-European *mréǵʰus (“short, brief”). Doublet of breve and merry.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *mreǵʰ-, breef, brief, brevis, *mréǵʰus
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbɹif/
- British English: /ˈbɹiːf/
Usage
- Obsolete
- Slang
- British usage
- Transitive verb
Inflected Forms
briefer (comparative)
more brief (comparative)
briefest (superlative)
most brief (superlative)
briefs (plural)
briefs (present, singular)
briefing (participle, present)
briefed (participle, past)
briefed (past)