Brieve

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An obsolete term for a short legal writ or formal document issued in the name of a sovereign or court
2. A historical legal document, a writ issued by a court or ruler, now largely archaic in English usage
3. An old form of brief meaning a formal written order or summons issued under legal authority

Etymology: The word "brieve" is an older spelling of "breve," and its path into English runs through a Latin adjective meaning "short." Latin "brevis" gave Old French its feminine form "brieve" (alongside "brief" or "bref"), and that French form passed into Middle English as "breve" or "bref," meaning a short document. Legal writs were brief by nature, which is why the adjective's sense of length carried over to a piece of paper. The same Latin root also produced a music term. Italian "breve" denotes a note of long duration in notation, and English borrowed that sense separately. So one Latin adjective gave English both a legal document and a note value, through two different routes.