brief

See also Brief

English

Etymology

From Old French brief, from Latin brevis (“short”). Compare French bref.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɹiːf/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːf

Adjective

brief (comparative more brief, superlative most brief)

1. Of short duration; happening quickly. [from 15th c.]
   • 2012 November 7, Matt Bai, “Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds”, New York Times:

     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.

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.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:ephemeral
• See also Wikisaurus:concise

Derived terms

• briefly

Related terms

• brevity

Translations

of short duration

• Armenian: կարճ (hy) (karč̣)
• Bulgarian: къс (bg) (kǎs), кратък (bg) (kratǎk)
• Czech: stručný, krátký, zhuštěný, strohý (cs) m
• Danish: kort (da)
• Dutch: kort (nl), kortstondig (nl)
• German: kurz (de)
• Hungarian: rövid (hu)

• Italian: breve (it)
• Japanese: 短い (ja) (みじかい, mijikai)
• Macedonian: краток (mk) (krátok) m, кус (mk) (kus) m
• Polish: krótki (pl)
• Spanish: breve (es), corto (es)

concise

• Armenian: համառոտ (hy) (hamaṙot)
• Bulgarian: сбит (bg) (sbit)
• Danish: kortfattet (da)
• Dutch: kort (nl), bondig (nl), samengevat (nl)
• German: prägnant (de)

• Hungarian: tömör (hu)
• Italian: breve (it)
• Macedonian: краток (mk) (krátok) m, содржаен (mk) (sod'ržaen) m
• Polish: zwięzły (pl) m
• Spanish: conciso (es), sucinto (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Catalan: breu (ca), concís (ca)
• French: bref (fr)

• Indonesian: singkat (id), ringkas (id)
• Japanese: 簡略 (ja) (かんりゃく, kanryaku)
• Romanian: scurt (ro), concis (ro)

Noun

brief (plural briefs)

1. (law) A writ summoning one to answer to any action.
2. (law) An answer to any action.
   • 1996 The Japanese Rule of Civil Procedure, Article 79 (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. (law) An attorney's legal argument in written form for submission to a court.
5. (English law) The material relevant to a case, delivered by a solicitor to the barrister who tries the case.
6. (informal) A short news story or report.
   • We got a news brief.
7. (obsolete) A summary, précis or epitome; an abridgement or abstract.
   • 1589 Thomas Nashe, The Anatomie of Absurditie 5:

     A survey of their follie, a briefe of their barbarisme.

Derived terms

• briefs
• control brief

Translations

a short news story or report

• Bulgarian: резюме (bg) (rezjume) n

• Spanish: resumen (es) m

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, 1989

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.

   The U.S. president was briefed on the military coup and its implications on African stability.

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

Translations

to summarize

• Spanish: poner al tanto (es)

Derived terms

• briefing
• brevity

Adverb

brief (comparative more brief, superlative most brief)

1. (obsolete, poetic) Briefly.
   • Milton

     Adam, faltering long, thus answered brief.

2. (obsolete, poetic) Soon; quickly.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

External links

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

Anagrams

• fiber, fibre

---

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch brief which is borrowed from Latin brevis (“short”).

See also English brief and German Brief.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -if

• audio

  (file)

• IPA: /briːf/

Noun

brief m (plural brieven, diminutive briefje)

1. letter (written message)

Derived terms

• kaperbrief

---

Middle French

Adjective

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

1. brief; short

---

Old French

Alternative forms

• bref

Etymology

Latin brevis, see English brief above.

Adjective

brief m (feminine brieve)

1. brief; short in length

Declension

  Declension of brief  

Number	Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular	Subject	briés	brieve	brief
	Oblique	brief	brieve	brief
Plural	Subject	brief	brieve	brief
	Oblique	briés	brieves	brief

Derived terms

• briement

Noun

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

1. (short) letter or statement
   • circa 1170, Wace, Le Roman de Rou:

     A li brief al Conte enveié

     He sent the letter to the Count

Descendants

• English: brief
• French: bref