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Webster 1913 Edition


Brevity

Brev′i-ty

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Brevities
.
[L.
brevitas
, fr.
brevis
short: cf. F.
brièvité
. See
Brief
.]
1.
Shortness of duration; briefness of time;
as, the
brevity
of human life
.
2.
Contraction into few words; conciseness.
Brevity
is the soul of wit.
Shakespeare
This argument is stated by St. John with his usual elegant
brevity
and simplicity.
Bp. Porteus.
Syn. – Shortness; conciseness; succinctness; terseness.

Webster 1828 Edition


Brevity

BREV'ITY

,
Noun.
[L. brevitas, from brevis, short. See Brief.]
1.
Shortness; applied to time; as the brevity of human life.
2.
Shortness; conciseness; contraction into few words; applied to discourses or writings.