breve Italian · revision 38734

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=first half of the 13th century, Jacopo Mostacci|origins=ine-pro *mréǵʰus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈbrɛ.ve/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''breve''' ''m or f'' by sense (plural brevi, superlative brevissimo, adverb brevemente)^(Wiktionary)

+ The old form [[roa-oit|brieve]], with the Tuscan diphthong of a stressed open /ɛ/, was in use until the 17th century.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DELI 1999)^(LEI|7, 373) Old and dialect forms also include [[roa-oit|breva]] (at Verona), [[scn|brevi]] and [[pms|brév]].^(LEI|7, 373)^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|brevis|t=short]], continued in its accusative form.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(LEI|7, 373) The LEI and Nocentini count it among the inherited words, while Körting calls it half-learned in all the Romance languages that have it and Wiktionary treats it as a borrowing from Latin.^(LEI|7, 373)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Körting 1907)^(Wiktionary) The same word is [[fr|bref]] (Old French [[m|fro|brief]]), [[pro|breu]], [[ca|breu]], [[es|breve]] and [[pt|breve]];^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935) it is missing in Romanian and in the south of Italy, where [[la|curtus|t=shortened]] took its place.^(DEI|596)^(Körting 1907)

+

+ The noun in the sense “brief, written document” goes back to the neuter [[la-lat|breve]], used for a summary or short writing from the 4th to 6th century, and to [[la-med|breve]] “document”, much used in the Latin of medieval Italy.^(DEI|596)^(LEI|7, 373)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Nocentini sees it as a Romance ellipsis of a phrase such as “short letter”.^(Nocentini 2010) [[m|fro|brief]] in the sense “papal letter” passed into German as [[m|de|Brief|t=letter]] and into English as [[m|en|brief]], which came back into Italian, with [[briefing]], as a loan from English.^(Nocentini 2010)^(LEI|7, 373)

+

+ The Latin adjective comes from [[itc-pro|*breɣʷis]], from [[ine-pro|*mréǵʰus|t=short]]; de Vaan reconstructs an u-stem adjective enlarged with *-i-, as in [[la|gravis]] and [[la|tenuis]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) The ancients already compared [[grc|βραχύς|tr=brakhús|t=short]], and the other cognates are [[ae|mərəzu-]], [[sa|मुहु|tr=múhu|t=suddenly]], [[got|𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽|tr=gamaurgjan|t=to shorten]] and [[goh|murg|t=short]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(de Vaan 2008) The Latin superlative survives as [[m|la|brūma|t=winter solstice]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is in a poem of Jacopo Mostacci of the Sicilian school, from the first half of the 13th century, in a Tuscan copy; the LEI dates the sense “lasting a short time” from 1292, in Bono Giamboni.^(TLIO)^(LEI|7, 373) DELI has “concise” before 1294 in Brunetto Latini, and “short in time” and “short in space” before 1306 in Jacopone da Todi.^(DELI 1999) The adverbial use “briefly” is in Brunetto Latini's ''Rettorica'' (c. 1260–1261).^(TLIO) The noun is older still: DELI and GRADIT date ''breve'' “letter of a prince, document” to 1219, in the ''Breve di Montieri''.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old Italian the adjective meant short in time, short in space and concise, and also quick, scanty and of little account.^(TLIO) Dante has the adverb in the ''Inferno'': ''dicerolti molto breve'' (“I will tell you very briefly”).^(GRADIT 2003)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) The literary sense “narrow, small” is in Tasso's “ma è bassa palude e breve stagno”.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) In prosody a short vowel or syllable is ''brieve'' in Leon Battista Alberti (c. 1438) and ''breve'' in Varchi (before 1565).^(DELI 1999) DELI notes that the summing-up use of ''in breve'' “in short” follows French ''en bref'', whereas Italian had kept the sense “in a short time”.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ The masculine noun named many kinds of short writing: in the medieval communes a notary's record of a deal, the oath sworn by new magistrates and the town's statute; from the 15th century a papal brief, less solemn than a bull (Savonarola, before 1498); and a small bag with relics or prayers worn round the neck as an amulet, as in Boccaccio.^(GRADIT 2003)^(DELI 1999)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)^(DEI|596) In music the feminine ''breve'' is the note worth two semibreves, first recorded in 1491;^(DIFIT) French borrowed it in 1703 and German in 1732.^(DIFIT)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1219 – The noun ''breve'' “document, letter of a prince” is recorded in the ''Breve di Montieri''.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * First half of the 13th century – The adjective appears in a poem of Jacopo Mostacci.^(TLIO)

+ * c. 1260–1261 – Brunetto Latini uses ''breve'' as an adverb.^(TLIO)

+ * Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses it for “concise”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * c. 1438 – ''Brieve'' is a prosodic term in Leon Battista Alberti.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1491 – ''Breve'' is recorded as the name of a musical note.^(DIFIT)

+ * Before 1498 – Savonarola uses ''breve'' for a papal letter.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1703 – French borrows the musical ''breve''.^(DIFIT)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|brief]], lasting a short time: ''Dopo una breve pausa il concerto riprese.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # [[m|en|short]] in length or distance: ''Prendemmo un sentiero breve ma ripido.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # [[m|en|concise]], using few words; of a person, getting to the point: ''Il direttore fu breve e chiaro.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(literary)'' Narrow, small.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''(linguistics, prosody)'' Of a vowel or syllable: short, of less duration than a long one.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # ''(literary)'' Briefly, in few words.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(feminine)'' A short vowel or syllable; the [[m|en|breve]] mark ˘ that shows it.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(feminine, music)'' A breve, a note worth two semibreves.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''(feminine, journalism)'' A short news item.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''(masculine)'' A papal brief, a letter of the pope less solemn than a bull.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(masculine, historical)'' In the Middle Ages, a notarial document, the oath of a commune's magistrates, or a commune's statute.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(masculine, archaic)'' A small bag with relics or a prayer, worn round the neck; an [[m|en|amulet]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[brevemente]]

+ * [[brevità]]

+ * [[abbreviare]]

+ * [[breviario]]

+ * [[semibreve]]

+ * [[brevilineo]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[brevetto]]

+ * [[briefing]]

+ * [[la|brevis]]

+ * [[fr|bref]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Common phrases are ''a breve'' (“shortly”, and in finance “short-term”), ''tra breve'' (“soon”), ''in breve'' and ''per farla breve'' (“in short”).^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}