Breve


a mark (˘) over a vowel to show that it is short, or to indicate a specific pronunciation, as ŭ in (kŭt) cut.
Law.

an initial writ.
a writ, as one issued by a court of law.

Music.

the longest modern note, equivalent to two semibreves or whole notes.
Also, brevis. a note in medieval mensural notation equal to one-half or one-third of a longa.

Prosody. a mark (˘) over a syllable to show that it is not stressed.
Historical Examples

The Works of John Marston John Marston
A Voyage to Arcturus David Lindsay
Resurrection Leo Tolstoy
The Teaching and Cultivation of the French Language in England during Tudor and Stuart Times Kathleen Lambley
Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race Maud Isabel Ebbutt
Dotty Dimple at Her Grandmother’s Sophie May
Rhetoric and Poetry in the Renaissance Donald Lemen Clark
Music Notation and Terminology Karl W. Gehrkens
King Horn, Floriz and Blauncheflur, The Assumption of Our Lady Various
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources James Wood

noun
an accent, (˘), placed over a vowel to indicate that it is of short duration or is pronounced in a specified way
(music) a note, now rarely used, equivalent in time value to two semibreves
(RC Church) a less common word for brief (sense 7)
n.

Read Also:

  • Brevet

    a commission promoting a military officer to a higher rank without increase of pay and with limited exercise of the higher rank, often granted as an honor immediately before retirement. to appoint, promote, or honor by brevet. Historical Examples The Day’s Work, Volume 1 Rudyard Kipling Ten Years Later Alexandre Dumas, Pere The Fifth String […]

  • Brevetted

    a commission promoting a military officer to a higher rank without increase of pay and with limited exercise of the higher rank, often granted as an honor immediately before retirement. to appoint, promote, or honor by brevet. Historical Examples Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 6 of 8 Various Early American Scientific Instruments and Their […]

  • Brevi

    a combining form meaning “short,” used in the formation of compound words: brevirostrate. Historical Examples Ulysses James Joyce Rough Stone Monuments and Their Builders T. Eric Peet Essay on the Life and Institutions of Offa, King of Mercia, A.D. 755-794 Henry Mackenzie

  • Breviary

    Roman Catholic Church. a book containing all the daily psalms, hymns, prayers, lessons, etc., necessary for reciting the office. a book of daily prayers and readings in some other churches. Historical Examples The Woman Thou Gavest Me Hall Caine Notre-Dame de Paris Victor Hugo The French Revolution Thomas Carlyle The Gods are Athirst Anatole France […]

  • Brevicaudate

    having a short tail.


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