Etymology Explorer › Icelandic

Where does “bréf” come from?

bréf (Icelandic) comes from Old Norse bréf, from Latin breve, from Latin brevis, from Proto-Italic *breɣʷis, from Proto-Indo-European mréǵʰus, from Proto-Indo-European mreǵʰ- — short.

bréf (Icelandic): a letter; an epistle; a document

Definitions

  1. a letter; an epistle; a document

Ancestry of “bréf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsebréf—
2Latinbrevenominative neuter singular of brevis; accusative...
3Latinbrevisshort, small, little, narrow; brief, short;...
4Proto-Italic*breɣʷis—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmréǵʰusshort; brief
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmreǵʰ-short

Words derived from “bréf”

  • lesandabréf
  • bréfspjald
  • bréfaklemma
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mreǵʰ- →