bref

See also: bréf

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 inacurate.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʁɛf/

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

bref (feminine brève, masculine plural brefs, feminine plural brèves)

1. 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

• dans les plus brefs délais
• en bref

 

Adverb

bref

1. (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

• “bref”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• breef, breve, brefe, breefe

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)

1. concise (having a short word-count)
2. brief (short, ephemeral or quick)
3. (rare) diminutive, little
4. (rare) stupid

Derived terms

• brevely

Descendants

• English: brief
• Scots: brief

References

• “brẹ̄f, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-11-09.

Noun

bref (plural brefes)

1. A message, especially one that gives approval or authorises.
2. brief (writ, summons)
3. A written text or part of one acting as a record.
4. (rare, music) breve (double whole note)

Descendants

• English: brief, breve
• Scots: brief, brieve, breef, briefe

References

• “brẹ̄f, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-11-09.

Old French

Etymology

From Latin brevis.

Noun

bref oblique singular, m (oblique plural bres, nominative singular bres, nominative plural bref)

1. Alternative form of brief

Swedish

Noun

bref n

1. 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

• IPA^(key): /breːv/
• Rhymes: -eːv

Noun

bref m (plural brefau or brefion)

1. a bleat, low, bellow, bray, roar, cry

Derived terms

• brefu (“to bleat, to bellow, to bray, to cry”)
• Hydref (“October”)

 

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
bref	fref	mref	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

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