bref

See also: bréf

French

Etymology

From Old French brief, from Latin brevis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʁɛf/

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

bref (feminine brève, masculine plural brefs, feminine plural brèves)

1. brief (of short duration)

   Il lui envoya un bref message de quelques lignes seulement.

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Derived terms

• dans les plus brefs délais
• en bref

 

Adverb

bref

1. in short, in brief, briefly

   Je vous ai déjà dit que cela ne se peut, que cela ne doit pas être ; bref, je ne le veux pas.

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Further reading

• “bref”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• breef, breve, brefe, breefe

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French brief, and its feminine form brieve, from Latin brevis, form Proto-Italic *breɣʷis, from Proto-Indo-European *mréǵʰus. Doublet of mery.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /breːf/, /ˈbreːv(ə)/

Adjective

bref (plural and weak singular breve)

1. concise (having a short word-count)
2. brief (short, ephemeral or quick)
3. (rare) diminutive, little
4. (rare) stupid

Derived terms

• brevely

Descendants

• English: brief
• Scots: brief

References

• “brẹ̄f, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-11-09.

Noun

bref (plural brefes)

1. A message, especially one that gives approval or authorises.
2. brief (writ, summons)
3. A written text or part of one acting as a record.
4. (rare, music) breve (double whole note)

Descendants

• English: brief, breve
• Scots: brief, brieve, breef, briefe

References

• “brẹ̄f, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-11-09.

Old French

Etymology

From Latin brevis.

Noun

bref m (oblique plural bres, nominative singular bres, nominative plural bref)

1. Alternative form of brief

Swedish

Noun

bref n

1. Obsolete spelling of brev