Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “breviary” come from?

Breviary comes from Latin breviarium, a diminutive of brevis meaning short, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mréǵʰus.

breviary (English): A book containing prayers, hymns, and so on for...

Definitions

  1. A book containing prayers, hymns, and so on for...

Ancestry of “breviary”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinbreviārium—
2Latinbrevisshort, small, little, narrow; brief, short;...
3Proto-Italic*breɣʷis—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmréǵʰusshort; brief
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmreǵʰ-short
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mreǵʰ- →