adv soon; quickly.
2. brief ·adj short in duration.
3. brief ·adj rife; common; prevalent.
4. brief ·adj concise; terse; succinct.
5. brief ·adv briefly.
6. brief ·adj an epitome.
7. brief ·adj a writ; a breve. ·see breve, ·noun, 2.
8. brief ·adj a short concise writing or letter; a statement in few words.
9. brief ·vt to make an abstract or abridgment of; to shorten; as, to brief pleadings.
10. brief ·noun a letter patent, from proper authority, authorizing a collection or charitable contribution of money in churches, for any public or private purpose.
11. brief ·noun 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.
12. brief ·adj 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.