Breve

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɹiːv/
• Rhymes: -iːv

Origin

From Latin brevis ("short").

Full definition of breve

Noun

1. (orthography, printing) A semicircular diacritical mark (˘) placed above a vowel, commonly used to mark its quantity as short.
2. (music, UK) A double whole note.
3. (legal) Any writ or precept under seal, issued out of any court.
4. (zoology) The great ant thrush of Sumatra (Pitta gigas), which has a very short tail.

Related terms

• brevity
• brief
• semibreve

Anagrams

• bever