1. (a.) Short in duration.

2. (a.) Concise; terse; succinct.

3. (a.) Rife; common; prevalent.

4. (adv.) Briefly.

5. (adv.) Soon; quickly.

6. (n.) A short concise writing or letter; a statement in few words.

7. (n.) An epitome.

8. (n.) An abridgment or concise statement of a client's case, made out for the instruction of counsel in a trial at law. This word is applied also to a statement of the heads or points of a law argument.

9. (n.) A writ; a breve. See Breve, n., 2.

10. (n.) A writ issuing from the chancery, directed to any judge ordinary, commanding and authorizing that judge to call a jury to inquire into the case, and upon their verdict to pronounce sentence.

11. (n.) A letter patent, from proper authority, authorizing a collection or charitable contribution of money in churches, for any public or private purpose.

12. (v. t.) To make an abstract or abridgment of; to shorten; as, to brief pleadings.