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bref. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
bref, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
bref in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
bref you have here. The definition of the word
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Franco-Provençal
Etymology
From Latin brevis.
Adjective
bref (feminine bréva, masculine plural brefs, feminine plural bréves) (ORB, broad)
- brief
References
- bref in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu
French
Etymology
From Old French brief, from Latin brevis. A folk etymology derives it as an acronym of Bon, Revenons-En aux Faits, but this is completely inaccurate.
Pronunciation
Adjective
bref (feminine brève, masculine plural brefs, feminine plural brèves)
- brief (of short duration)
Il lui envoya un bref message de quelques lignes seulement.- He sent her a brief message of only a few lines.
Derived terms
Adverb
bref
- (informal) in short, in brief, briefly
Je vous ai déjà dit que cela ne se peut, que cela ne doit pas être ; bref, je ne le veux pas.- I have already told you that that cannot be, that it must not be; in short, I do not want it.
Further reading
Middle English
Etymology
Borrowed from Old French brief, and its feminine form brieve, from Latin brevis, form Proto-Italic *breɣʷis, from Proto-Indo-European *mréǵʰus. Doublet of mery.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /breːf/, /ˈbreːv(ə)/
Adjective
bref (plural and weak singular breve)
- concise (having a short word-count)
- brief (short, ephemeral or quick)
- (rare) diminutive, little
- (rare) stupid
Derived terms
Descendants
References
Noun
bref (plural brefes)
- A message, especially one that gives approval or authorises.
- brief (writ, summons)
- A written text or part of one acting as a record.
- (rare, music) breve (double whole note)
Descendants
References
Old French
Etymology
From Latin brevis.
Noun
bref oblique singular, m (oblique plural bres, nominative singular bres, nominative plural bref)
- Alternative form of brief
Swedish
Noun
bref n
- Obsolete spelling of brev.
Welsh
Etymology
From the verbal base of brefaf / brefu (“to bleat, bellow, bray”), from Proto-Brythonic *brėβ̃ɨd (“to make noise”).
Pronunciation
Noun
bref m (plural brefau or brefion)
- a bleat, low, bellow, bray, roar, cry
Derived terms
- brefu (“to bleat, to bellow, to bray, to cry”)
- Hydref (“October”)
Mutation
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
References
- R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “bref”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
- Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 24