■ adjective
1》 of short duration.
2》 concise; using few words.
3》 (of clothing) not covering much of the body.
■ noun
1》 Brit. a summary of the facts and legal points in a case given to a barrister to argue in court.
↘a piece of work for a barrister.
↘ N. Amer. a written statement of the facts and legal points supporting one side of a case, for presentation to a court.
2》 Brit. informal a solicitor or barrister.
3》 chiefly Brit. a set of instructions given to a person about a task.
4》 a letter from the Pope on a matter of discipline.
■ verb instruct or inform thoroughly in preparation for a task.
↘ Brit. instruct (a barrister) by ~.
Phrases
hold a ~ for Brit. be retained as counsel for.
hold no ~ for Brit. not support.
in ~ in short.
Derivatives
~er noun
~ly adverb
~ness noun
Origin
ME: from OFr. ~ , from L. brevis 'short'; the noun is via late L. breve 'note, dispatch'.