Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Short in duration. 2. (a.) Concise; terse; succinct. 3. (a.) Rife; common; prevalent. 4. (adv.) Briefly. 5. (adv.) Soon; quickly. 6. (n.) A short concise writing or letter; a statement in few words. 7. (n.) An epitome. 8. (n.) 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. (n.) 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.

Multi-Version Concordance Brief (7 Occurrences) Acts 24:4 But--not to detain you too long--I beg you in your forbearance to listen to a brief statement from us. (WEY DBY NAS RSV NIV) Acts 26:28 Agrippa answered, "In brief, you are doing your best to persuade me to become a Christian." (WEY) Romans 9:28 for the Lord will hold a reckoning upon the earth, making it efficacious and brief." (WEY) Ephesians 3:3 and that by a revelation the truth hitherto kept secret was made known to me as I have already briefly explained it to you. (Root in WEY DBY NAS RSV NIV) Ezra 9:8 Now for a little moment grace has been shown from Yahweh our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. (See NAS RSV NIV) Job 20:5 that the triumphing of the wicked is short, the joy of the godless but for a moment? (See NIV) Isaiah 54:7 For a short time I gave you up; but with great mercies I will take you back again. (See NAS RSV NIV)