Where does “brief” come from?
Brief comes from Middle English bref, from Old French brief, from Latin brevis meaning short, derived from Proto-Indo-European mréǵʰus.
brief (English): Of short duration; happening quickly; Concise;...
Definitions
- Of short duration; happening quickly; Concise;...
Ancestry of “brief”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bref | concise; brief; diminutive, little |
| 2 | Old French | brief | brief, short in length; letter or statement |
| 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 |
Words derived from “brief”