brief

[breef] /brif/
adjective, briefer, briefest.
1.
lasting or taking a short time; of short duration:
a brief walk; a brief stay in the country.
2.
using few words; concise; succinct:
a brief report on weather conditions.
3.
abrupt or curt.
4.
scanty:
a brief bathing suit.
noun
5.
a short and concise statement or written item.
6.
an outline, the form of which is determined by set rules, of all the possible arguments and information on one side of a controversy:
a debater's brief.
7.
Law.
  1. a writ summoning one to answer to any action.
  2. a memorandum of points of fact or of law for use in conducting a case.
  3. a written argument submitted to a court.
  4. (in England) the material relevant to a case, delivered by a solicitor to the barrister who tries the case.
8.
an outline, summary, or synopsis, as of a book.
9.
briefs, (used with a plural verb) close-fitting, legless underpants with an elastic waistband.
10.
briefing.
11.
Roman Catholic Church. a papal letter less formal than a bull, sealed with the pope's signet ring or stamped with the device borne on this ring.
12.
British Theater. a free ticket; pass.
13.
Obsolete. a letter.
verb (used with object)
14.
to make an abstract or summary of.
15.
to instruct by a brief or briefing:
They brief all the agents before assigning them.
16.
Law. to retain as advocate in a suit.
Idioms
17.
hold a brief for, to support or defend by argument; endorse.
18.
in brief, in a few words; in short:
The supervisor outlined in brief the duties of the new assistant.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English bref < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin brevis short; see breve
Related forms
briefer, noun
briefness, noun
unbrief, adjective
unbriefly, adverb
unbriefness, noun
unbriefed, adjective
Synonyms
1. short-lived, fleeting, transitory, ephemeral, transient. See short. 2. terse, compact, pithy, condensed. 5. outline, précis, epitome, abstract. See summary. 14. summarize, outline.
Examples from the web for brief
  • My students read several short supplemental readings over the course of the semester and write a brief response to them.
  • Don't fertilize them ― doing so shortens their already brief lifespan.
  • The role of money in politics will be the subject of another brief.
  • After a brief tour of the city, enjoy lunch in a local restaurant.
  • Although some of the brief personal stories are poignant, the underlying precepts are not new.
  • Keep your answers brief, concise and to the point.
  • The report in brief.
  • Our lives are very brief so we are unable to experience evolution.
  • Both a vision and mission statement need to be brief.
  • During our brief conversations, he has made cutting remarks about his fellow colleagues.
British Dictionary definitions for brief

brief

/briːf/
adjective
1.
short in duration: a brief holiday
2.
short in length or extent; scanty: a brief bikini
3.
abrupt in manner; brusque: the professor was brief with me this morning
4.
terse or concise; containing few words: he made a brief statement
noun
5.
a condensed or short statement or written synopsis; abstract
6.
(law) a document containing all the facts and points of law of a case by which a solicitor instructs a barrister to represent a client
7.
(RC Church) a letter issuing from the Roman court written in modern characters, as contrasted with a papal bull; papal brief
8.
short for briefing
9.
a paper outlining the arguments and information on one side of a debate
10.
(Brit, slang) a lawyer, esp a barrister
11.
hold a brief for, to argue for; champion
12.
in brief, in short; to sum up
verb (transitive)
13.
to prepare or instruct by giving a summary of relevant facts
14.
to make a summary or synopsis of
15.
(English law)
  1. to instruct (a barrister) by brief
  2. to retain (a barrister) as counsel
16.
(intransitive) foll by against. to supply potentially damaging or negative information regarding somone, as to the media, a politician, etc See also briefs
Derived Forms
briefly, adverb
briefness, noun
Word Origin
C14: from Old French bref, from Latin brevis; related to Greek brakhus
Word Origin and History for brief
adj.

late 13c., from Latin brevis (adj.) "short, low, little, shallow," from PIE *mregh-wi-, from root *mregh-u- "short" (cf. Greek brakhys "short," Old Church Slavonic bruzeja "shallow places, shoals," Gothic gamaurgjan "to shorten").

n.

from Latin breve (genitive brevis), noun derivative of adjective brevis (see brief (adj.)) which came to mean "letter, summary," specifically a letter of the pope (less ample and solemn than a bull), and thus came to mean "letter of authority," which yielded the modern, legal sense of "summary of the facts of a case" (1630s).

v.

"to give instructions or information to," 1866; originally "to instruct by a brief" (1862), from brief (n.). Related: Briefed; briefing.

Idioms and Phrases with brief

brief

see:
Encyclopedia Article for brief

in law, a document often in the form of a summary or abstract. The term is used primarily in common-law countries, and its exact meaning varies across jurisdictions.

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