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What is brevity?

brevity

 [brev-i-tee]   Example Sentences Origin

brev·i·ty

   [brev-i-tee]
noun
1.
shortness of time or duration; briefness: the brevity of human life.
2.
the quality of expressing much in few words; terseness: Brevity is the soul of wit.
Origin:
1500–10; < Anglo-French brevite, Old French brievete. See brief, -ity

Synonyms
2. compactness, succinctness, pithiness. Brevity, conciseness refer to the use of few words in speaking. Brevity emphasizes the short duration of speech: reduced to extreme brevity. Conciseness emphasizes compactness of expression: clear in spite of great conciseness.

Antonyms
1, 2. length.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Brevity is an SAT word you need to know.
So is peripheral. Does it mean:
for computers, a device or unit that operates separately from the CPU but is connected to it, as a magnetic disk or a printer
the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt
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Example Sentences
  • In oral argument, the author urges brevity, clarity and equanimity.
  • In the pleading of cases nothing pleases so much as brevity.
  • Points will be given for brevity and conciseness of your answer.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
brevity (ˈbrɛvɪtɪ)
 
—n , pl -ties
1.  conciseness of expression; lack of verbosity
2.  a short duration; brief time
 
[C16: from Latin brevitās shortness, from brevisbrief]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

brevity
c.1500, from L. brevitatem (nom. brevitas) "shortness" in space or time, from brevis "short" (see brief).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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