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in brief

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brief

  [breef] adjective, -er, -est, noun, verb
Use in brief in a Sentence
–adjective
1. lasting or taking a short time; of short duration: a brief walk; a brief stay in the country.
2. using few words; concise; succinct: a brief report on weather conditions.
3. abrupt or curt.
4. scanty: a brief bathing suit.
–noun
5. a short and concise statement or written item.
6. an outline, the form of which is determined by set rules, of all the possible arguments and information on one side of a controversy: a debater's brief.
7. Law.
a. a writ summoning one to answer to any action.
b. a memorandum of points of fact or of law for use in conducting a case.
c. a written argument submitted to a court.
d. (in England) the material relevant to a case, delivered by a solicitor to the barrister who tries the case.
8. an outline, summary, or synopsis, as of a book.
9. briefs, (used with a plural verb) close-fitting, legless underpants with an elastic waistband.
10. briefing.
11. Roman Catholic Church. a papal letter less formal than a bull, sealed with the pope's signet ring or stamped with the device borne on this ring.
12. British Theater. a free ticket; pass.
13. Obsolete. a letter.
–verb (used with object)
14. to make an abstract or summary of.
15. to instruct by a brief or briefing: They brief all the agents before assigning them.
16. Law. to retain as advocate in a suit.
—Idioms
17. hold a brief for, to support or defend by argument; endorse.
18. in brief, in a few words; in short: The supervisor outlined in brief the duties of the new assistant.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME bref < AF, OF < L brevis short; see breve

Related forms:
briefer, noun
briefness, noun

Synonyms:
1. short-lived, fleeting, transitory, ephemeral, transient. See short. 2. terse, compact, pithy, condensed. 5. outline, précis, epitome, abstract. See summary. 14. summarize, outline.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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brief   (brēf)   
adj.   brief·er, brief·est

  1. Short in time, duration, length, or extent.

  2. Succinct; concise: a brief account of the incident.

  3. Curt; abrupt.

n.  

  1. A short, succinct statement.

  2. A condensation or an abstract of a larger document or series of documents.

  3. Law

    1. A formal outline listing main contentions along with supporting evidence and documentation.

    2. A document containing all the facts and points of law pertinent to a specific case, filed by an attorney before arguing the case in court.

  4. Roman Catholic Church A papal letter that is not as formal as a bull.

  5. A briefing.

  6. briefs Short, tight-fitting underpants.

tr.v.   briefed, brief·ing, briefs

  1. To summarize.

  2. To give instructions or preparatory information to: briefed the astronauts before the mission.


[Middle English bref, from Old French, from Latin brevis. N., Middle English bref, written communication, from Old French, from Medieval Latin breve, from Latin, neuter of brevis, short; see mregh-u- in Indo-European roots.]
brief'er n., brief'ly adv., brief'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

brief  (adj.)
1292, from L. brevis (adj.) "short, low, little, shallow," from PIE *bregh- "cut, beat, beat (out)" (cf. Gk. brakhys "short," O.C.S. bruzeja "shallow places, shoals"). Noun derivative breve (gen. brevis) meant "letter, summary" (specifically a letter of the pope, less ample and solemn than a bull), and came to mean "letter of authority," which yielded the modern, legal sense of "summary of the facts of a case" (1631). The verb meaning "to give instructions or information to" (1866) was originally "to instruct by a brief" (1862); hence briefing, first attested 1910 but popularized by WWII pre-flight conferences. Briefs "short, tight underwear" is from 1934.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: brief
Function: transitive verb
: to write a brief concerning (a motion or question of law)
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

in brief

Also, in short; in a word. Concisely, in few words, to sum up. All three phrases usually precede or follow a summary statement, as in In brief, we didn't get much out of his speech, or There was no agenda; in short, they could discuss whatever they wanted to, or The sun was shining, the sky was clearin a word, it was a beautiful day. The first expression dates from the early 1400s; in short dates from the 1300s but the present usage dates from the 1700s; the hyperbolic in a word (since there is nearly always more than one word) dates from the late 1500s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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