Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Brief?

\Brief\, a. [OE. bref, F. brief, bref, fr. L. brevis; akin to Gr. ? short, and perh. to Skr. 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; transitory; short-lived.
\Brief\, adv. 1. Briefly. [Obs. or Poetic] Adam, faltering long, thus answered brief. --Milton. 2. Soon; quickly. [Obs.] --Shak.
\Brief\ (br[=e]f), n. [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) 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) A writ; a breve. See {Breve}, n., 2. 5. (Scots Law) 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. To make an abstract or abridgment of; to shorten; as, to brief pleadings.