short in duration.-concise; terse; succinct.-rife; common; prevalent.-briefly.-soon; quickly.-a short concise writing or letter; a statement in few words.-an epitome.-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.-a writ; a breve. see breve, n., 2.-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.-a letter patent, from proper authority, authorizing a collection or charitable contribution of money in churches, for any public or private purpose.-to make an abstract or abridgment of; to shorten; as, to brief pleadings.