breve

[ breev, brev ]

/ briv, brɛv /

noun

a mark (˘) over a vowel to show that it is short, or to indicate a specific pronunciation, as ŭ in (kŭt) cut.

Law.

an initial writ.
a writ, as one issued by a court of law.

Music.

the longest modern note, equivalent to two semibreves or whole notes.
Also brevis. a note in medieval mensural notation equal to one-half or one-third of a longa.

Prosody. a mark (˘) over a syllable to show that it is not stressed.

Nearby words

Origin of breve

1250–1300; Middle English < Medieval Latin, Latin breve, neuter of brevis short; see brief

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for breve

Agalma breve, like a prismatic mass of crystal, with pink float and polypites.
Colouration in Animals and Plants|Alfred Tylor
Breve was chosen as it is phonetically plausible and the characters are more widely available.
Indian Linguistic Families Of America, North Of Mexico|John Wesley Powell
"I cannot do it," said Breve; and, waving his arm, he ran into his private room.
Resurrection|Leo Tolstoy
Combinations such as (y with breve and macron) or (o with under-dot and macron) may not display as intended in all browsers.
King Horn, Floriz and Blauncheflur, The Assumption of Our Lady|Various

They believed with Quintilian that "Longum et difficile iter est per praecepta, breve et efficax per exempla."
The Teaching and Cultivation of the French Language in England during Tudor and Stuart Times|Kathleen Lambley

British Dictionary definitions for breve

breve

/ (briːv) /

noun

an accent, (˘), placed over a vowel to indicate that it is of short duration or is pronounced in a specified way

music a note, now rarely used, equivalent in time value to two semibreves

RC Church a less common word for brief (def. 7)

Word Origin for breve

C13: from Medieval Latin breve, from Latin brevis short; see brief

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for breve

breve

mid-15c., musical notation indicating two whole notes, from Latin breve (adj.) "short" in space or time (see brief (adj.)). The grammatical curved line placed over a vowel to indicate "shortness" (1540s) is from the same source.