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brevity

   Also found in: Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.03 sec.
brev·i·ty  (brv-t)
n.
1. The quality or state of being brief in duration.
2. Concise expression; terseness.

[Latin brevits, from brevis, short; see brief.]

brevity [ˈbrɛvɪtɪ]
n pl -ties
1. conciseness of expression; lack of verbosity
2. a short duration; brief time
[from Latin brevitās shortness, from brevis brief]

Brevity
the practice of conciseness in speech or writing.
1. the practice of using few words to say much.
2. a laconic utterance. — laconic, n., adj.laconical, adj.
Rare. the speaking of few words; taciturnity or brevity. — pauciloquent, adj.
Rare. brevity; conciseness.
the brief, sometimes cryptic language used in telegrams.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.brevity - the use of brief expressions
terseness - a neatly short and concise expressive style
2.brevitybrevity - the attribute of being brief or fleeting
length, duration - continuance in time; "the ceremony was of short duration"; "he complained about the length of time required"

brevity
noun
1. shortness, transience, impermanence, ephemerality, briefness, transitoriness The bonus of this homely soup is the brevity of its cooking time.
2. conciseness, economy, crispness, concision, terseness, succinctness, curtness, pithiness The brevity of the letter concerned me.
conciseness rambling, verbiage, tautology, wordiness, verbosity, redundancy, diffuseness, tediousness, prolixity, long-windedness, discursiveness, circuity, verboseness
Quotations
"Brevity is the soul of wit" [William Shakespeare Hamlet]
"I strive to be brief, and I become obscure" [Horace Ars Poetica]
Translations
brevity [ˈbrevɪtɪ] N (= shortness) → brevedad f; (= conciseness) → concisión f
brevity is the soul of witlo bueno si breve dos veces bueno

brevity [ˈbrɛvɪti] n [event] → brièveté f; [speech] → concision f

brevity
n
(= shortness)Kürze f
(= conciseness)Kürze f, → Bündigkeit f, → Knappheit f; brevity is the soul of wit (Prov) → in der Kürze liegt die Würze (Prov)

brevity [ˈbrɛvɪtɪ] nbrevità
brevity [ˈbrɛvɪtɪ] nbrevità

brevity brief


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
"The fleet anchored at Spithead": can anyone want a better sentence for brevity and seamanlike ring?
But what plays the mischief with this masterly code is the admirable brevity of it, which necessitates a vast volume of commentaries to expound it.
Tollmidge must have possessed one great merit as a letter-writer--the merit of brevity.
 
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