Dictionary

brevity en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɹɛvəti/ (UK)
• /ˈbɹɛvəti/ (Canada, US)
• /ˈbɹɛvɪti/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• [ˈbɹɛvəɾi] (Canada, US)
• [ˈbɹɛvɾi] (Canada, US)
• [ˈbɹevəɾi] (Australia, New-Zealand)
• audio Maryland
• /ˈbɹevəti/ (Australia, New-Zealand)

Etymology

First attested in English in 1509; either: * Borrowed directly from Latin brevitās; or * from Anglo-Norman brevité, from Old French brieveté, from Latin brevitātem, accusative of brevitās, from brevis (“short”). By surface analysis, brief + -ity.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) The quality of being brief in duration.
   • Thanks to Global Positioning Systems we can see that Europe and North America are parting at about the speed a fingernail grows—roughly two yards in a human lifetime. If you were prepared to wait long enough, you could ride from Los Angeles all the way up to San Francisco. It is only the brevity of lifetimes that keeps us from appreciating the changes. 2005, Bill Bryson, A short history of nearly everything:
2. (uncountable) Succinctness; conciseness.
   • [B]revity is the soul of wit, And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes[.] c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
   • A good technical writing style will now be defined as a style possessing clarity, brevity, and variety. 1966, Jackson E. Morris, Principles of scientific and technical writing:
   • Whenever a public question comes to such a crisis that the opportunities for individual intervention are reduced to the smallest possible compass, Mr. Roebuck is sure to step in with a formula, summing up the case with indignant brevity, censuring somebody, or panegyrizing somebody. 1856 June 14, “Head and Tail”, in The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science, and Art, volume 2, number 33, London: John W. Parker and Son, page 142:
3. (countable, rare) A short piece of writing.

Forms

Deriveds

brevity is the soul of wit · brevitic · brevity code

Relateds

brief · breve

Synonyms

terseness · transiency · laconicism · concision (succinctness) · ephemerality (quality of being brief in duration) · fleetingness

Translations (44)

de Bündigkeit (succinctness; conciseness) · ru лакони́чность (succinctness; conciseness) · ru кра́ткость (the quality of being brief in duration) · ga giorracht (the quality of being brief in duration) · tl kaigsian (the quality of being brief in duration) · bg краткотрайност (the quality of being brief in duration) · ga gairide (the quality of being brief in duration) · cs krátkost (the quality of being brief in duration) · nb korthet (the quality of being brief in duration) · it brevità (succinctness; conciseness) · unm tàkweokàn (the quality of being brief in duration) · fr concision (succinctness; conciseness) · es brevedad (the quality of being brief in duration) · tr özlülük (succinctness; conciseness) · la brevitās (the quality of being brief in duration) · ru кра́ткость (succinctness; conciseness) · pt brevidade (the quality of being brief in duration) · fr laconisme (succinctness; conciseness) · uk сти́слість (succinctness; conciseness) · es concisión (succinctness; conciseness) · fi lyhytaikaisuus (the quality of being brief in duration) · oc brevitat (the quality of being brief in duration) · el βραχύτητα (the quality of being brief in duration) · ca brevetat (the quality of being brief in duration) · fr concision (the quality of being brief in duration) · de Kürze (the quality of being brief in duration) · la brevitās (succinctness; conciseness) · ga coimre (succinctness; conciseness) · fi lyhytkestoisuus (the quality of being brief in duration) · ga achomaireacht (succinctness; conciseness) · tr kısalık (the quality of being brief in duration) · fi ytimekkyys (succinctness; conciseness) · bg кракост (the quality of being brief in duration) · bg сбитост (succinctness; conciseness) · fa ایجاز (the quality of being brief in duration) · fr brièveté (the quality of being brief in duration) · fi lyhytsanaisuus (succinctness; conciseness) · nn stuttleik (the quality of being brief in duration) · sv korthet (the quality of being brief in duration) · de Knappheit (succinctness; conciseness) · gl brevidade (the quality of being brief in duration) · it brevità (the quality of being brief in duration) · cs stručnost (succinctness; conciseness) · grc βραχύτης (the quality of being brief in duration)