ars longa, vita brevis

[ ahrs lohng-gah wee-tah bre-wis; English ahrz lawng-guh vahy-tuh bree-vis, brev-is, vee-tuh, ahrs ]

/ ɑrs ˈloʊŋ gɑ ˈwi tɑ ˈbrɛ wɪs; English ɑrz ˈlɔŋ gə ˈvaɪ tə ˈbri vɪs, ˈbrɛv ɪs, ˈvi tə, ɑrs /

Latin.

art is long, life is short.

Nearby words

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.

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 brevis

But soles are not 'lights,' and brevis lux is not 'brief candle.'
The Valet's Tragedy and Other Stories|Andrew Lang
Brevis ipsa vita est, sed longior malis—Life itself is short, but lasts longer than misfortunes.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood
Quam gratiam voluit Sanctitas Sua perpetuo suffragari absque ulla Brevis expeditione.
The Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Volume 1, February, 1865|Various
De Bry, in the remarkable plates of his "Brevis Narratio," furnishes two instances of such use.
Art in Shell of the Ancient Americans|William H. Holmes

Brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio—When labouring to be concise, I become obscure.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood

British Dictionary definitions for brevis

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 brevis

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.