Etymologically
Log in

perbrevis

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the Latin word perbrevis

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
81–43 BC, Cicero
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European *mrǵh-ú-
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin brevis
French bref
Italian breve
Latin perbrevis
From the same root
Latin brevitas ← brevis

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈpɛr.brɛ.wɪs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈpɛr.bre.vis][1]

Forms

perbrevis (neuter perbreve, adverb perbreviter); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin per- + brevis (“short”).[2][3][1] De Vaan traces that adjective to Proto-Italic *mreχ-u(-i-) and Proto-Indo-European *mrǵh-ú- (“short”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cicero,[5] and the TLL notes that it is found mostly in his works and rarely elsewhere.[3] In the Brutus he calls an orator very ornate and very concise, perōrnātus et perbrevis.[6][7]

Semantic evolution

It is used of short times, short distances and short writings: Cicero speaks of a very short time and a very short letter, and Livy of a very short distance.[7][8] The ablative perbrevī is used as an adverb, “in a very short time”.[6][8] Cicero also splits it by tmesis, per mihi brevis.[6][3] The adverb is perbreviter, “very briefly”.[6]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a concise orator and of a very short time.[6][5]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of distance and time.[7][5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Very short (in time, distance or length), very brief.[2][6][7]
  2. (of a speaker or style) Very concise.[6][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  8. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
Cite this entry

“Perbrevis.” Etymologically, 20 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/perbrevis. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·