Unnumbered source etymology
Original entry ↗adv
Briefly. · Soon; quickly.
verb
To summarize a recent development to some person with decision-making power. · To write a legal argument and submit it to a court.
noun
A writ summoning one to answer; an official letter or mandate. · A short papal letter. · An answer to any action. · A memorandum of points of fact or of law for use in conducting a case.
adj
Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventoryOf short duration; happening quickly. · Concise; taking few words. · Occupying a small distance, area or spatial extent; short. · Rife; common; prevalent.
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.
Relationships mentioned by the source
These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
This page abbreviates 11 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.
Inspect preserved source fields
Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.
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"expansion": "Middle English breef"
},
{
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"1": "en",
"2": "fro",
"3": "brief"
},
"expansion": "Old French brief"
},
{
"name": "der",
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"2": "la",
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},
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},
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"3": "*mréǵʰus",
"t": "short, brief"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *mréǵʰus (“short, brief”)"
},
{
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}
],
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[
"*mreǵʰ-",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/mreǵʰ-#Proto-Indo-European:_short"
],
[
"*-us",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-us#Proto-Indo-European:_Caland_system"
],
[
"*mréǵʰus",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/mréǵʰus#Proto-Indo-European:_short"
],
[
"*breɣʷis",
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],
[
"brevis",
"brevis#Latin"
],
[
"brief",
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],
[
"brieve",
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],
[
"bref",
"bref#Middle_English"
],
[
"breef",
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],
[
"breve",
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],
[
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],
[
"brief",
"brief#Old_French"
],
[
"bref",
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[
"brevis",
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],
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"breve#English"
],
[
"merry",
"merry#English"
]
],
"references": [],
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"lexical": [
{
"pos": "adv",
"glosses": [
"Briefly.",
"Soon; quickly."
],
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"To summarize a recent development to some person with decision-making power.",
"To write a legal argument and submit it to a court."
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"A writ summoning one to answer; an official letter or mandate.",
"A short papal letter.",
"An answer to any action.",
"A memorandum of points of fact or of law for use in conducting a case."
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"Of short duration; happening quickly.",
"Concise; taking few words.",
"Occupying a small distance, area or spatial extent; short.",
"Rife; common; prevalent."
],
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