BRIEF

brief

(adjective) concise and succinct; “covered the matter in a brief statement”

abbreviated, brief

(adjective) (of clothing) very short; “an abbreviated swimsuit”; “a brief bikini”

brief

(adjective) of short duration or distance; “a brief stay in the country”

brief

(noun) a condensed written summary or abstract

brief, legal brief

(noun) a document stating the facts and points of law of a client’s case

brief

(verb) give essential information to someone; “The reporters were briefed about the President’s plan to invade”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Adjective

brief (comparative briefer, superlative briefest)

Of short duration; happening quickly. [from 15th c.]

Concise; taking few words. [from 15th c.]

Occupying a small distance, area or spatial extent; short. [from 17th c.]

(obsolete) Rife; common; prevalent.

Synonyms

• See also ephemeral

• See also concise

Noun

brief (plural briefs)

(legal) A writ summoning one to answer to any action.

(legal) An answer to any action.

(legal) A memorandum of points of fact or of law for use in conducting a case.

(by extension, figurative) A position of interest or advocacy.

(legal) An attorney's legal argument in written form for submission to a court.

(English law) The material relevant to a case, delivered by a solicitor to the barrister who tries the case.

A short news story or report.

(usually, in the plural) undershorts briefs.

(obsolete) A summary, précis or epitome; an abridgement or abstract.

(UK, historical) A letter patent, from proper authority, authorizing a collection or charitable contribution of money in churches, for any public or private purpose.

(slang) A ticket of any type.

Verb

brief (third-person singular simple present briefs, present participle briefing, simple past and past participle briefed)

(transitive) To summarize a recent development to some person with decision-making power.

(transitive, legal) To write a legal argument and submit it to a court.

Adverb

brief (comparative more brief, superlative most brief)

(obsolete, poetic) Briefly.

(obsolete, poetic) Soon; quickly.

Anagrams

• FBIer, fiber, fibre

Source: Wiktionary

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Brief, a. Etym: [OE. bref, F. brief, bref, fr. L. brevis; akin to Gr. barh to tear. Cf. Breve.]

1. Short in duration. How brief the life of man. Shak.

2. Concise; terse; succinct. The brief style is that which expresseth much in little. B. Jonson.

3. Rife; common; prevalent. [Prov. Eng.] In brief. See under Brief, n.

Syn.

– Short; concise; succinct; summary; compendious; condensed; terse; curt; transistory; short-lived.

Brief, adv.

1. Briefly. [Obs. or Poetic] Adam, faltering long, thus answered brief. Milton.

2. Soon; quickly. [Obs.] Shak.

Brief, n. Etym: [See Brief, a., and cf. Breve.]

1. A short concise writing or letter; a statement in few words. Bear this sealed brief, With winged hastle, to the lord marshal. Shak. And she told me In a sweet, verbal brief. Shak.

2. An epitome. Each woman is a brief of womankind. Overbury.

3. (Law)

Definition: An abridgment or concise statement of a client's case, made out for the instruction of counsel in a trial at law. This word is applied also to a statement of the heads or points of a law argument. It was not without some reference to it that I perused many a brief. Sir J. Stephen.

Note: In England, the brief is prepared by the attorney; in the United States, counsel generally make up their own briefs.

4. (Law)

Definition: A writ; a breve. See Breve, n., 2.

5. (Scots Law)

Definition: A writ issuing from the chancery, directed to any judge ordinary, commanding and authorizing that judge to call a jury to inquire into the case, and upon their verdict to pronounce sentence.

6. A letter patent, from proper authority, authorizing a collection or charitable contribution of money in churches, for any public or private purpose. [Eng.] Apostolical brief, a letter of the pope written on fine parchment in modern characters, subscribed by the secretary of briefs, dated "a die Nativitatis," i. e., "from the day of the Nativity," and sealed with the ring of the fisherman. It differs from a bull, in its parchment, written character, date, and seal. See Bull.

– Brief of title, an abstract or abridgment of all the deeds and other papers constituting the chain of title to any real estate.

– In brief, in a few words; in short; briefly. "Open the matter in brief." Shak.

Brief, v. t.

Definition: To make an abstract or abridgment of; to shorten; as, to brief pleadings.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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