breve

American  

[breev, brev] / briv, brɛv /

noun

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

2. Law.

   1. an initial writ.

   2. a writ, as one issued by a court of law.

3. Music.

   1. the longest modern note, equivalent to two semibreves or whole notes.

   2. Also brevis a note in medieval mensural notation equal to one-half or one-third of a longa.

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

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breve British  

/ briːv /

noun

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

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

3. RC Church a less common word for brief

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Etymology

Origin of breve

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

Example Sentences

One in particular, called B. breve, could help babies make the most of nutrients in breast milk and ward off bugs, preliminary tests suggest.

From BBC • Sep. 6, 2024

La estrella caliente Wolf-Rayet 124, captada por el telescopio espacial James Webb durante un breve período de su ciclo de vida antes de convertirse en una supernova.

From New York Times • May 6, 2023

O Ibama está avaliando a proposta e deve responder em breve.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 5, 2023

Por un breve y fugaz momento estuve por encima de las 100 libras.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2021

Ideo consideratum est quod praedicti Willelmus et Thomas nichil capiant per breve suum set sint in misericordia pro falso clamio.

From Villainage in England Essays in English Mediaeval History by Vinogradoff, Paul