breve
[ breev, brev ]
/ briv, brɛv /
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noun
Phonetics, Orthography. a diacritic (˘) 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.
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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
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Origin of breve
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use breve in a sentence
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
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