Etymology Explorer › Medieval Latin

Where does “breve” come from?

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

Ancestry of “breve”, step by step

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