Briefly

How to spell briefly

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce briefly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does briefly mean?

1. adverbFor a short time, or using few words.

Briefly in a sentence

• The manager spoke briefly before handing over to the new director.

• She paused briefly to check her notes, then continued the presentation.

Where does briefly come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built on the adjective 'brief', which English took from the Old French 'bref', itself descended from the Latin 'brevis', meaning 'short' or 'little'. The same Latin root gives us 'abbreviate', 'abridge', and even the musical term 'breve', so the idea of shortness runs through all of them. The adverb form was created within English simply by adding the native '-ly' ending, which turns adjectives into adverbs of manner. From the late medieval period onward, 'briefly' carried the sense of doing something in few words or in a short span of time. The spelling preserves the 'ie' of 'brief' and then stacks the '-ly' on top, which is exactly where writers slip, sometimes dropping a letter or muddling the vowel order.

How the word is built

• brief (from Latin brevis: short)
• -ly (adverb suffix)