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   brief

   /brēf/

   adjective

   • 1. of short duration: "he made a brief visit to Paris to attend two concerts" Similar shortflyingfleetinghastyhurriedquickcursoryperfunctorytemporaryshort-livedmomentarypassingtransienttransitoryimpermanentfadingephemeralevanescentfugitiveinformal:quickierare:fugaciousOpposite long
   • ▪ concise in expression; using few words: "introductions were brief and polite" Similar concisesuccinctshortthumbnailto the pointpithyincisiveshort and sweetcrispabridgedcondensedcompressedabbreviatedcompactcompendiouspottedepigrammaticaphoristiclaconicsparingtersepointedcurtclippedmonosyllabicOpposite lengthylong-winded
   • ▪ (of a piece of clothing) not covering much of the body; scanty: "Alice sported a pair of extremely brief black shorts" Similar skimpyscantyrevealingshortlow-cut

   noun

   • 1. a concise statement or summary: "their comments were cribbed right from industry briefs"
   • ▪ a set of instructions given to a person about a job or task: "his brief is to turn around the country's economy" Similar instructionsdirectionsdirectivesbriefinginformationguidelinesguidanceremitmandateinformal:rundownlowdowngen
   • ▪ a written summary of the facts and legal points supporting one side of a case, for presentation to a court.
   • ▪ a letter from the Pope to a person or community on a matter of discipline.

   verb

   • 1. instruct or inform (someone) thoroughly, especially in preparation for a task: "she briefed him on last week's decisions"

   Word Origin Middle English: from Old French brief, from Latin brevis ‘short’. The noun is via late Latin breve ‘note, dispatch’, hence ‘an official letter’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. briefness noun

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • B

     3

   • R

     1

   • I

     1

   • E

     1

   • F

     4

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