brief

Etymology

From Middle English breef, breve, bref, from Old French brief, bref, from Latin brevis (“short”), from Proto-Indo-European *mréǵʰus (“short, brief”). Doublet of merry.

adj

1. Of short duration; happening quickly.
   Her reign was brief but spectacular.
   That brief moment after the election four years ago, when many Americans thought Mr. Obama’s election would presage a new, less fractious political era, now seems very much a thing of the past. November 7, 2012, Matt Bai, “Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds”, in New York Times
2. Concise; taking few words.
   His speech of acceptance was brief but moving.
   The briefe ſtyle is that which expreſſeth much in little. a. 1637, Ben Jonson, “Discoveries”, in The Works of Ben Jonson, volume 2, London: Richard Bishop, published 1641
   She was like a Beardsley Salome, he had said. And indeed she had the narrow eyes and the high cheekbone of that creature, and as nearly the sinuosity as is compatible with human symmetry. His wooing had been brief but incisive. 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest
   If Demandt's essay served as a strident example of the German desire for normalcy, a more subtle example was provided by a brief allohistorical depiction of a Nazi victory in World War II written by German historian Michael Salewski in 1999. 23 May 2005, Gavriel D. Rosenfeld, The World Hitler Never Made: Alternate History and the Memory of Nazism, Cambridge University Press, page 182
3. Occupying a small distance, area or spatial extent; short.
   Her skirt was extremely brief but doubtless cool.
   On the beach he always wore a straw hat with a red band and a brief pair of leopard print trunks. 1983, Robert Drewe, The Bodysurfers, Penguin, published 2009, page 17
4. (obsolete) Rife; common; prevalent.

noun

1. (law) A writ summoning one to answer; an official letter or mandate.
2. (law) An answer to any action.
   A written answer or any other brief shall be submitted to the court while allowing a period necessary for the opponent to make preparations with regard to the matters stated therein. 1996, Japanese Rules of Civil Procedure, Article 79, Section 1
3. (law) A memorandum of points of fact or of law for use in conducting a case.
4. (by extension, figurative) A position of interest or advocacy.
   Mrs. Hope was, we believe, a convert to the Roman Catholic Church, and neither she nor her editor conceals the fact that they hold a brief for the Pope and for Catharine against Henry VIII. August 18, 1894, “The First Divorce of Henry VIII [book review]”, in The Speaker, volume 10, page 192
5. (law) An attorney's legal argument in written form for submission to a court.
6. (English law) The material relevant to a case, delivered by a solicitor to the barrister who is counsel for the case.
7. (English law, slang) A barrister who is counsel for a party in a legal action.
8. A short news story or report.
   We got a news brief.
9. (usually in the plural) underwear briefs.
   I wear boxers under trousers but for sports I usually wear a brief.
10. (obsolete) A summary, précis or epitome; an abridgement or abstract.
    […] euen ſo it fareth with mee, who béeing about to anatomize Abſurditie, am vrged to take a view of ſundry mens vanitie, a ſuruey of their follie, a briefe of their barbariſme […] 1589, Thomas Nashe, The Anatomie of Absurditie
    EACH woman is a brief of womankind, / And doth in little e’en as much contain, / As in one day and night all life we find ; / Of either more is but the ſame again […] a. 1613, Sir Thomas Overbury, “A Wife”, in The Miscellaneous Works in Verse and Prose of Sir Thomas Overbury, Knt. with Memoir of his Life, 10th edition, London: W. Owen, published 1756, page 23
11. (UK, historical) A letter patent, from proper authority, authorizing a collection or charitable contribution of money in churches, for any public or private purpose.
12. (slang) A ticket of any type.

verb

1. (transitive) To summarize a recent development to some person with decision-making power.
   The U.S. president was briefed on the military coup and its implications on African stability.
   It is being briefed that Southeastern operations will return to the private sector, and that use of the Operator of Last Resort team will be a temporary arrangement. October 20 2021, Industry Insider, “The wheels turn slowly”, in RAIL, number 942, page 68
2. (transitive, law) To write a legal argument and submit it to a court.

adv

1. (obsolete, poetic) Briefly.
2. (obsolete, poetic) Soon; quickly.