A Brief   To B A  Or  Brief.  Letter

brief

I

 \\ˈbrēf\\ adjective1. short in duration, extent, or length
2.
  a. 

concise

  b. 

curt

, 

abrupt

• brief·ness noun

II

noun1.
  a. an official letter or mandate; especially : a papal letter less formal than a bull
  b. a specific instruction or responsibility
      his brief was to strengthen the army
2.
  a. a concise article
  b. 

synopsis

, 

summary

  c. a concise statement of a client's case made out for the instruction of counsel in a trial at law
3. an outline of an argument; especially : a formal outline especially in law that sets forth the main contentions with supporting statements or evidence
4. plural : short snug pants or underpants
 • • •
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III

transitive verb1. to make an abstract or abridgment of
2.
  a. to give final precise instructions to
  b. to coach thoroughly in advance
  c. to give essential information to
3. to discuss (as a military operation) in a briefing
    briefed the mission
• brief·er noun

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brief
I. \ˈbrēf\ adjective
(-er/-est)
Etymology: Middle English bref, breve, from Middle French brief, bref, from Latin brevis; akin to Old High German murg short, Greek brachys, Sogdian murzak
1. 
 a. : not enduring long : markedly limited in duration
  < a brief interruption >
  < a brief speech >
  < one of the briefest republics in human record — Julian Dana >
 b. : of limited extent
  < down across a brief meadow — E.W.Smith >
 especially : 
  < a brief paragraph expressing a firm conviction — Margaret E. Hall >
  < a jacket … waist-length in back and briefer in front — Lois Long >
  < consisting of one brief street >
2. 
 a. : , 
  < a brief summary of the day's news >
  < some brief remarks on the subject >
 b. : , 
3. dialect, of a communicable illness : extremely common : 
 < measles are very brief here just now >
Synonyms: 
  and  contrast with long.  usually applies to duration
  < it was a fleeting visit, all too brief; in three short minutes he had seen them all — W.H.Davies >
  < a mock episode, as brief as a dream — L.P.Smith >
  < fair but mortal youths who paid with their lives for the brief rapture of the love of an immortal goddess — J.G.Frazer >
  It may suggest conciseness or even curtness
  < their greetings were brief. “Hi, kid”, Donald said. “Hi, boy”, said Will — Wallace Stegner >
  , applying to both duration and extent, may be a close synonym for 
  < short and narrow bound from morn to eventide — W.E.Gladstone >
  It may imply a sudden abrupt shortening or conclusion
  < a short but exhilarating experience of the power to control lives for good or evil >
II. \ˈbrēf\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English bref, breve, from Middle French bref, brief, from Medieval Latin brevis, breve, from Late Latin, letter, summary, from Latin brevis (masculine & feminine), breve (neuter), adjective, short
1. : a formal or official letter or mandate: as
 a. :  3; especially : 
 b. dialect England : a statement of the causes of a person's poverty used as a petition : a begging letter
 c. : a papal letter that is less formal than a bull and is signed by the secretary of briefs and sealed with the pope's ring
 d. obsolete :  2
 e. : a letter patent formerly issued by the English sovereign as head of the established church authorizing a collection to be made in the churches for some specified purpose
2. : a brief written item or document: as
 a. : a short usually concise article (as in a newspaper)
  < local briefs >
 b. : a short version : , 
  < a brief of a large scholarly tome >
 c. obsolete : , 
 d. : an abridgment or concise statement of a client's case made out for the instruction of counsel in a trial at law — called also trial brief
 e. obsolete : , 
 f. : 
3. 
 a. : a plan or outline of an argument; especially : a formal outline with logically related headings that sets forth the main contentions with supporting statements or evidence
 b. or brief of argument : such a plan in behalf of a client that often has considerable detail dealing with the facts or the law and is presented to a trial or appellate court, an administrative or international tribunal, or to a legislative body
 c. : a case at law
4. Scotland : , 
5. : short snug-fitting pants or underpants that usually have elastic at the waist and elastic or ribbing at the slant-cut leg openings and are made in a variety of styles for both men and women — usually used in plural
Synonyms: see 
•
- 
- 
- 
III. transitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: brief (I) 
1. 
 a. : to present in brief or in the form of a brief : make a brief, abstract, or abridgment of
  < entered a solid, old law firm … received a salary for briefing up cases — T.W.Duncan >
  < brief a report >
  < Miss Sandoz briefed what Cook had said — C.C.Rister >
  < summarized northeastern Siberian archaeology and has briefed many normally unavailable sources — Wendell Oswalt >
 b. : to compose (a written work) in the form of a brief or abstract
  < a report briefed from the original notes >
2. Britain : to retain as legal counsel
 < brief a lawyer >
3. 
 a. : to give final precise and informative instructions to (participants before a mission or action)
 b. : to indoctrinate (members of the armed forces) in service standards — compare 
 c. : to coach thoroughly in advance, imparting condensed up-to-the-minute information and explicit directions
  < instructed him in what to say, in other words, briefed him in the current line of propaganda — Evelyn G. Cruickshanks >
  < thousands of marriages … could be kept intact if young couples were properly briefed beforehand on the chief booby traps in married life — Irish Digest >
 d. : to give usually essential information to usually concisely
  < a visitor can hardly set foot inside the border before someone is briefing him on the general sequence of events — Faubion Bowers >
IV. adverb
Etymology: brief (I) 
obsolete :