Available Definitions:
1) a. - Short in duration.
2) a. - Concise; terse; succinct.
3) a. - Rife; common; prevalent.
4) adv. - Briefly.
5) adv. - Soon; quickly.
6) a. - A short concise writing or letter; a statement in few words.
7) a. - An epitome.
8) a. - 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) a. - 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.