Where does “brief” come from?
brief (Afrikaans) comes from Dutch brief, from Middle Dutch brief, from Latin brevis, from Proto-Italic *breɣʷis, from Proto-Indo-European mréǵʰus, from Proto-Indo-European mreǵʰ- — short.
brief (Afrikaans): letter
Ancestry of “brief”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | brief | letter |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | brief | — |
| 3 | Latin | brevis | short, small, little, narrow; brief, short;... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | *breɣʷis | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | mréǵʰus | short; brief |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mreǵʰ- | short |