Where does “brevity” come from?

Brevity comes from Latin brevitas, derived from the adjective brevis meaning "short," formed with the Latin suffix -tus from the Proto-Indo-European root mréǵʰus meaning "short" and the Proto-Indo-European suffix -tós.

brevity (English): The quality of being brief in duration;...

Definitions

  1. The quality of being brief in duration;...

Ancestry of “brevity”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinbrevitāsshortness; narrowness
2Latinbrevisshort, small, little, narrow; brief, short;...
3Proto-Italic*breɣʷis—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmréǵʰusshort; brief
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmreǵʰ-short
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mreǵʰ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European mréǵʰus →Every word from Proto-Italic *breɣʷis →
brevity — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer