from a short distance

prŏpinquĭtas, ātis, f. [propinquus], nearness, vicinity, proximity, propinquity (class.).

Lit., of place:

ex longinquitate, propinquitate,

Cic. Inv. 1, 26, 38:

hostium,

Caes. B. G. 2, 20:

loci,

id. ib. 7, 19:

ex propinquitate pugnare,

from a short distance, close at hand, id. ib. 2, 31:

nimis imminebat propter propinquitatem Aegina Piraeo,

Cic. Off. 3, 11, 46; id. Phil. 3, 6, 15.— In plur.:

silvarum ac fluminum petunt propinquitates,

Caes. B. G. 6, 29.—

Trop.

Relationship, affinity, propinquity:

si pietate propinquitas colitur,

Cic. Quint. 6, 26:

vinculis propinquitatis conjunctus,

id. Planc. 11, 27:

nobilis propinquitas,

Nep. Dion, 1, 2:

arcta,

near relationship, Plin. Ep. 4, 4, 1:

jus propinquitatis,

Vulg. Ruth, 3, 13; Tac. G. 7.— Plur.:

si propinquitates summo bono non contineantur,

Cic. Fin. 5, 24, 69.—

Intimacy, friendship (anteclass.):

ad probos propinquitate se adjungere,

Plaut. Aul. 2, 2, 59.—

Concr., a kinsman (late Lat.):

in propinquitatis perniciem inclinatior,

Amm. 14, 11, 7 al.

ab-sum, āfui (better than abfui), āfŭtārus (aforem, afore), v. n., in its most general signif., to be away from, be absent.

In gen.

Absol. without designating the distance (opp. adsum):

num ab domo absum?

Plaut. Ep. 5, 2, 16:

me absente atque insciente,

id. Trin. 1, 2, 130:

domini ubi absunt,

are not at home, not present, Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 53: facile aerumnam ferre possum, si inde abest injuria, Caecil. ap. Non. 430, 18.—

With reference to the distance in space or time; which is expressed either by a definite number, or, in gen., by the advs. multum, paulum (not parum, v. below) longe, etc.:

edixit, ut ab urbe abesset milia pass. ducenta,

Cic. Sest. 12, 29:

castra, quae aberant bidui,

id. Att. 5, 16:

hic locus aequo fere spatio ab castris Ariovisti et Caesaris aberat,

Caes. B. G. 1, 43:

haud longe abesse oportet,

he ought not to be far hence, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 166:

legiones magnum spatium aberant,

Caes. B. G. 2, 17:

menses tres abest,

Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 66:

haud permultum a me aberit infortunium,

Ter. Heaut. 4, 2, 1; Cic. Fam. 2, 7.—With the simple abl. for ab:

paulumque cum ejus villa abessemus,

Cic. Ac. 1, 1 Görenz; but, ab ejus villa, B. and K.; cf.:

nuptā abesse tuā,

Ov. R. Am. 774.— With inter:

nec longis inter se passibus absunt,

Verg. A. 11, 907.—With prope, propius, proxime, to denote a short distance:

nunc nobis prope abest exitium,

is not far from, Plaut. Aul. 2, 3, 8;

so with est: prope est a te Deus, tecum est,

Sen. Ep. 41:

loca, quae a Brundisio propius absunt, quam tu, biduum,

Cic. Att. 8, 14:

quoniam abes propius,

since you are nearer, id. ib. 1, 1:

existat aliquid, quod... absit longissime a vero,

id. Ac. 2, 11, 36; so id. Deiot. 13; Caes. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 16 al.—Hence the phrase: tantum abest, ut—ut, so far from — that, etc. (Zumpt, §

779), the origin of which is evident from the following examples from Cic. (the first two of which have been unjustly assailed): id tantum abest ab officio, ut nihil magis officio possit esse contrarium, Off. 1, 14 (with which comp. the person. expression: equidem tantum absum ab ista sententia, ut non modo non arbitrer... sed, etc.,

id. de Or. 1, 60, 255):

tantum abest ab eo, ut malum mors sit, ut verear, ne, etc.,

id. Tusc. 1, 31, 76: ego vero istos tantum abest ut ornem, ut effici non possit, quin eos oderim, so far am I from — that, id. Phil. 11, 14; sometimes etiam or quoque is added to the second clause, Lentul. ap. Cic. Fam. 12, 15, 2; Suet. Tib. 50; more rarely contra, Liv. 6, 31, 4. Sometimes the second ut is left out:

tantum afuit, ut inflammares nostros animos: somnum isto loco vix tenebamus,

Cic. Brut. 80, 278; on the contrary, once in Cic. with a third ut: tantum abest ut nostra miremur, ut usque eo difficiles ac morosi simus, ut nobis non satisfaciat ipse Demosthenes, Or. 29, 104.

Hence,

To be away from any thing unpleasant, to be freed or free from:

a multis et magnis molestiis abes,

Cic. Fam. 4, 3:

a culpa,

id. Rosc. Am. 20: a reprehensione temeritatis, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 23.

To be removed from a thing by will, inclination, etc.; to be disinclined to (syn. abhorreo)' a consilio fugiendi, Cic. Att. 7, 24:

ab istis studiis,

id. Planc. 25:

ceteri a periculis aberant,

kept aloof from, avoided, Sall. C. 6, 3. toto aberant bello, Caes. B. G. 7, 63.

To be removed from a thing in regard to condition or quality, i. e. to be different from, to differ = abhorrere abest a tua virtute et fide, Brut. et Cass. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 2: istae kolakeiai non longe absunt a scelere, id. Att. 13, 30:

haec non absunt a consuetudine somniorum,

id. Divin. 1, 21, [p. 13] 42.—Since improvement, as well as deterioration, may constitute the ground of difference, so absum may, according to its connection, designate the one or the other:

nullā re longius absumus a naturā ferarum,

in nothing are we more elevated above the nature of the brute, Cic. Off. 1, 16, 50;

so also the much-contested passage,

Cic. Planc. 7, 17: longissime Plancius a te afuit, i. e. valde, plurimis suffragiis, te vicit, was far from you in the number of votes, i. e. had the majority; v. Wunder ad Planc. proleg. p. 83 sq.; on the other hand, to be less, inferior: longe te a pulchris abesse sensisti, Cic. Fragm. ap. Non. 339, 23:

multum ab eis aberat L. Fufius,

id. Brut. 62, 222; so Hor. A. P. 370.

Not to be suitable, proper, or fit for a thing:

quae absunt ab forensi contentione,

Cic. Or. 11, 37:

ab principis personā,

Nep. Ep. 1, 2.

To be wanting, = desum, Pac. ap. Cic. Fin. 5, 11, 31 (Trag. Rel. p. 122 Rib.):

unum a praeturā tuā abest,

one thing is wanting to your praetorship, Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 25: quaeris id quod habes;

quod abest non quaeris,

Ter. Heaut. 5, 4, 16; cf. Lucr. 3, 970 and 1095.—After Cicero, constr. in this signif. with dat.:

quid huic abesse poterit de maximarum rerum scientiā?

Cic. de Or. 1, 11, 48:

abest enim historia litteris nostris,

history is yet wanting to our literature, id. Leg. 2, 5.—So esp. in the poets:

donec virenti canities abest morosa,

Hor. C. 1, 9, 17; 3, 24, 64; Ov. M. 14, 371.—Hence the phrase non multum (neque multum), paulum, non (haud) procul, minimum, nihil abest, quin. not much, little, nothing is wanting that (Zumpt, Gr. § 540); but not parum, since parum in good classical authors does not correspond in meaning with non multum, but with non satis (v. parum):

neque multum abesse ab eo, quin, etc.,

Caes. B. G. 5, 2, 2; and absol.:

neque multum afuit quin,

id. B. C. 2, 35, 4:

paulumque afuit quin, ib. § 2: legatos nostros haud procul afuit quin violarent,

Liv. 5, 4 fin.:

minimum afuit quin periret,

was within a little of, Suet. Aug. 14:

nihil afore credunt quin,

Verg. A. 8, 147 al.

Abesse alicui or ab aliquo, to be wanting to any one, to be of no assistance or service to (opp. adsum):

ut mirari Torquatus desinat, me, qui Antonio afuerim, Sullam defendere,

Cic. Sull. 5: facile etiam absentibus nobis ( without our aid) veritas se ipsa defendet, id. Ac. 2, 11, 36:

longe iis fraternum nomen populi Romani afuturum,

Caes. B. G. 1, 36. So also Cic. Planc. 5, 13: et quo plus intererat, eo plus aberas a me, the more I needed your assistance, the more you neglected me, v. Wunder ad h. l.; cf. also Sall. C. 20 fin.

Cicero uses abesse to designate his banishment from Rome (which he would never acknowledge as such):

qui nullā lege abessem,

Cic. Sest. 34, 37; cf.: discessus. —Hence, absens, entis ( gen. plur. regul. absentium;

absentum,

Plaut. Stich. 1, 1, 5), P. a., absent (opp. praesens).

In gen.:

vos et praesentem me curā levatis et absenti magna solatia dedistis,

Cic. Brut. 3, 11; so id. Off. 3, 33, 121; id. Verr. 2, 2, 17:

quocirca (amici) et absentes adsunt et egentes abundant,

id. Lael. 7, 23:

ut loquerer tecum absens, cum coram id non licet,

id. Att. 7, 15:

me absente,

id. Dom. 3; id. Cael. 50:

illo absente,

id. Tull. 17; id. Verr. 2, 60:

absente accusatore,

id. ib. 2, 99 al.— Sup.:

mente absentissimus,

Aug. Conf. 4, 4.—Of things (not thus in Cic.):

Romae rus optas, absentem rusticus urbem tollis ad astra,

Hor. S. 2, 7, 28; so,

Rhodus,

id. Ep. 1, 11, 21:

rogus,

Mart. 9, 77, 8:

venti,

Stat. Th. 5, 87:

imagines rerum absentium,

Quint. 6, 2, 29:

versus,

Gell. 20, 10.—

In partic.

In conversat. lang.

Praesens absens, in one's presence or absence:

postulo ut mihi tua domus te praesente absente pateat,

Ter. Eun. 5, 8, 29.—

Absente nobis turbatumst, in our absence (so also:

praesente nobis, v. praesens),

Ter. Eun. 4, 3, 7; Afran. ap. Non. 76, 19 (Com. Rel. p. 165 Rib.).—

In polit. lang., not appearing in public canvassings as a competitor:

deligere (Scipio) iterum consul absens,

Cic. Rep. 6, 11; so Liv. 4, 42, 1; 10, 22, 9.—

= mortuus, deceased, Plaut. Cas. prol. 20; Vitr. 7, praef. § 8.—

Ellipt.: absens in Lucanis, absent in Lucania, i. e. absent and in Lucania, Nep. Hann. 5, 3; so id. Att. 8, 6.

brĕvis, e, adj. (abl. breve, Varr. R. R. 2, 3, 2; comp. abl. breviore, Ov. Am. 2, 17, 22) [cf. brachus, Fest. p. 26], short, little, of small extent, in space and time (opp. longus; in space, in good class. prose, diff. from parvus, which designates that which fills a small space in length, breadth, and thickness; while brevis is used only of length in its different directions of breadth, height, or depth; and even of a circle, as merely a line, and without reference to the space enclosed, v. infra. In poets and postAug. prose brevis sometimes = parvus).

Lit., in space.

In distance, extent, short, little, small, narrow (opp. latus), Cic. Ac. 2, 29, 92:

brevior via,

Nep. Eum. 8, 5; Tib. 1, 10, 4:

via brevis,

Verg. E. 9, 23; Ov. M. 5, 253; Juv. 14, 223:

cursus brevissimus,

Verg. A. 3, 507:

brevius iter,

Ov. P. 1, 4, 32:

cursu brevissimus Almo,

id. M. 14, 329:

quid mihi, quod lato non separor aequore, prodest? Num minus haec nobis tam brevis obstat aqua?

so narrow a stream, id. H. 18, 174; cf.

also brevis unda, opp. latum mare,

id. ib. 19, 141 and 142:

non Asiam brevioris aquae disterminat usquam fluctus ab Europā,

Luc. 9, 957 (strictioris, Schol.); cf. id. 9, 317:

brevissima terra,

Plin. Ep. 10, 69, 2:

in Euboico scopulus brevis emicat altō Gurgite,

a small, narrow rock, Ov. M. 9, 226:

brevibus Gyaris,

Juv. 1, 73:

scis In breve te cogi (sc. libellum),

that you are closely rolled together, Hor. Ep. 1, 20, 8:

quo brevius valent,

the nearer, the more powerful are they in conflict, Tac. A. 6, 35.—

Trop. of the journey of life:

quid est, quod in hoc tam exiguo vitae curriculo et tam brevi tantis nos in laboribus exerceamus?

Cic. Arch. 11, 28; cf.:

vitae brevis cursus, gloriae sempiternus,

id. Sest. 21, 47:

tum brevior dirae mortis aperta via est,

Tib. 1, 10, 4.—And poet. of the thread of life:

fila vitae breviora,

Ov. Tr. 5, 10, 46. —

In height, short, small, low (opp. altus and sometimes longus);

of the human figure: sed sedebat judex L. Aurifex, brevior ipse quam testis,

Cic. de Or. 2, 60, 245:

ut statura breves in digitos eriguntur,

Quint. 2, 3, 8:

forma,

Ov. M. 5, 457:

(puella) longa brevisque,

id. Am. 2, 4, 36:

brevis corpore,

Suet. Galb. 3;

id. Vit. Hor.—Of a maiden changed to a boy: et incomptis brevior mensura capillis,

Ov. M. 9, 789.—

Of other things: ut pleraque Alpium ab Italiā sicut breviora, ita arrectiora sunt,

lower, Liv. 21, 35, 11:

brevior ilex,

Sen. Herc. Oet. 1641:

mus,

little, Ov. F. 2, 574. —

In depth, small, little, shallow (opp. profundus):

puteus,

Juv. 3, 226:

vada,

Verg. A. 5, 221; Sen. Agam. 570.—Hence, subst.: brĕvia, ium, n., as in Gr. ta brachea, shallow places, shallows, shoals:

tris Eurus ab alto In brevia et syrtis urget,

Verg. A. 1, 111 (brevia vadosa dicit, per quae vadi pedibus potest, Serv.); Luc. 9, 338: neque discerni poterant incerta ab solidis, brevia a profundis, Tac. A. 1, 70:

brevia litorum,

id. ib. 6, 33 fin. —Perh. also in sing.:

breve,

Tac. A. 14, 29 Draeg. ad loc. (Ritter, brevia; al. breve litus).—

Trop.:

brevia, in quibus volutatur, incerta, ancipitia,

difficulties, Sen. Ep. 22, 7.—

Of the line of a circle:

ubi circulus (i.e. arcticus) axem Ultimus extremum spatioque brevissimus ambit,

makes the shortest path, Ov. M. 2, 517; cf.

of similar orbits, of stars: absides breviores,

Plin. 2. 15, 13, §

63.—Of the circular course of a horse on the track: discit gyro breviore flecti,

Sen. Hippol. 314. —

Transf., of time.

Lit. (the usu. signif. of the word), short, brief, small, little.

In gen.:

quanto, nox, fuisti longior hac proxumā, Tanto brevior dies ut fiat faciam,

Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 51:

breve spatium'st perferundi quae minitas mihi,

id. Capt. 3, 5, 85:

brevis hora,

Lucr. 4, 179; so Ov. M. 4, 696: Pa. Brevin' an longinquo sermone? Mi. Tribus verbis, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 30:

occasio,

Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 57; Phaedr. 5, 8, 5:

brevis hic est fructus homulleis,

short is this enjoyment for little men, Lucr. 3, 927; cf.:

MORS. PERFECIT. TVA. VT. TIBE. ESSENT. OMNIA. BREVIA. HONOS. FAMA. VIRTVSQVE. GLORIA. ATQVE. INGENIVM.,

Inscr. Orell. 558:

omnia brevia tolerabilia esse debent,

Cic. Lael. 27, 104; id. Fin. 1, 12, 40; 2, 29, 94; id. Tusc. 1, 39, 94; Sen. Ira, 3, 43, 5:

quoniam vita brevis est, memoriam nostri quam maxime longam efficere,

Sall. C. 1, 3; so,

vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam,

Hor. C. 1, 4, 15; cf. id. ib. 1, 11, 6:

aut omnia breviora aliquanto fuere, aut Saguntum principio anni captum,

occupied a shorter time, Liv. 21, 15, 5:

brevissimum tempus,

id. 5, 6, 7:

detrimentum,

Quint. 11, 1, 10:

arbitrium mortis,

Tac. A. 15, 60:

breves populi Romani amores,

id. ib. 2, 41:

tempus,

Suet. Ner. 20 al.:

nobis quom semel occidit brevis lux, nox est perpetua una dormienda,

Cat. 5, 5:

fructus,

Lucr. 3, 914:

aevum,

Hor. C. 2, 16, 17; id. S. 2, 6, 97; id. Ep. 2, 1, 144; Plin. Pan. 78, 2:

anni,

Hor. C. 4, 13, 22:

ver,

Ov. M. 1, 118; 10, 85:

flores rosae,

quickly withering, short-lived, Hor. C. 2, 3, 13:

lilium,

id. ib. 1, 36, 16:

cena,

frugal, id. Ep. 1, 14, 35:

mensa,

id. A. P. 198:

dominus,

living but a short time, id. C. 2, 14, 24:

stultitia,

id. ib. 4, 12, 27:

ira furor brevis est,

id. Ep. 1, 2, 62:

actio brevis atque concisa,

Quint. 6, 4, 2:

somnus,

Sen. Troad. 441:

nec gratius quicquam decore nec brevius,

nothing is more acceptable, but nothing more perishable, fading, than beauty, Suet. Dom. 18:

domus,

Sen. Hippol. 762:

fortuna,

Sil. 4, 734.—

Esp.

Comp. brevius, with subj. clause, shorter, i.e. easier, more convenient:

brevius visum urbana crimina incipi, quorum obvii testes erant,

Tac. A. 13, 43: modo ne existimes brevius esse ab urbe mitti, Trag. ap. Plin. Ep. 10, 40 (49), 3.—

In brevi spatio, brevi spatio, in brevi tempore, brevi tempore, and absol. brevi or in brevi, in a short time, shortly (before or after) (brevi tempore and brevi are class.; the latter, as in Gr. en brachei, to be considered as neuter, without supplying tempore):

inque brevi spatio mutantur saecla animantum,

Lucr. 2, 77; so Ter. Heaut. 5, 2, 2; Suet. Claud. 12; id. Ner. 30; cf.:

in multo breviore temporis spatio,

id. Aug. 22:

multa brevi spatio simulacra geruntur,

Lucr. 4, 160; Sall. J. 87, 3:

spatio brevi,

Hor. C. 1, 11, 6:

res publica per vos brevi tempore jus suum recuperabit,

Cic. Fam. 12, 2, 3; 5, 21, 2; id. Tusc. 2, 2, 5; Caes. B. G. 1, 40, 11; Nep. Milt. 2, 1; id. Them. 1, 4; Suet. Caes. 3:

sic ille affectus, brevi postea est mortuus,

soon after, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 54, § 142 (Zumpt;

acc. to MSS. perbrevi).—So brevi post = paulo post: brevi post Marcellus Romam venit,

Liv. 33, 37, 9; 24, 3, 14:

brevi deinde,

id. 24, 4, 9: (Britanni) tantum usu cotidiano et exercitatione efficiunt, uti in declivi ac praecipiti loco incitatos equos sustinere et brevi ( in a short time, i.e. with great rapidity) moderari ac flectere consuerint, Caes. B. G. 4, 33 fin. Herz. and Held.:

fama tanti facinoris per omnem Africam brevi divolgatur,

Sall. J. 13, 1; Nep. Them. 4, 4:

mirantur tam brevi rem Romanam crevisse,

Liv. 1, 9, 9:

brevi omnia subegit,

Suet. Caes. 34; so id. Aug. 17; 65; id. Vesp. 5; id. Gram. 3; Gell. 1, 15, 18: scire in brevi, Afran. ap. Charis. p. 186 P.; Flor. 1, 1, 15.—

Brevi, a short time, a little while: [p. 251] cunctatusque brevi, contortam viribus hastam in Persea misit, Ov. M. 5, 32; cf.:

illa brevi spatio silet,

id. ib. 7, 307; so,

* breve,

Cat. 61, 187.—

Ad breve, for a short time, Suet. Tib. 68; cf.:

ad breve quoddam tempus,

Cic. Cat. 1, 13, 31.—

Transf. to things done or taking place in a short time; so most freq.

Of discourse, short, brief, concise (most freq. in Cic. and Quint.):

narratio,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 28; id. de Or. 3, 50, 196: laudatio;

comprehensio et ambitus ille verborum erat apud illum contractus et brevis,

id. Brut. 44, 162; cf. id. de Or. 2, 80, 326:

nunc venio ad illa tua brevia: et primum illud, quo nihil potest esse brevius: bonum omne laudabile, etc.,

id. Fin. 4, 18, 48:

quam falsa re! quam brevia responsu!

id. Clu. 59, 164: urbanitas est virtus quaedam in breve dictum coacta, Dom. Mars. ap. Quint. 6, 3, 104:

Homerus brevem eloquentiam Menelao dedit,

Quint. 12, 10, 64 (brevis = ou polumuthos, Hom. Il. 3, 214):

breviores commentarii,

Quint. 3, 8, 58:

annotatio,

id. 10, 7, 31:

brevia illa atque concisa,

id. 10, 7, 10; so,

sententiae,

id. 10, 1, 60:

causae,

id. 6, 1, 8:

docendi compendia,

id. 1, 1, 24:

comprehensiones,

id. 12, 2, 19:

quod ut brevissimo pateat exemplo,

id. 3, 6, 10: commendatio, requiring few words, i.e. moderate, Plin. 11, 42, 97, § 240.— Meton. of a speaker or orator, brief:

multos imitatio brevitatis decipit, ut cum se breves putent esse, longissimi sint,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 38:

brevior in scribendo,

id. Att. 5, 6, 2:

brevis esse laboro, Obscurus fio,

Hor. A. P. 25:

in eloquendo brevis,

Quint. 10, 1, 63:

densus et brevis et semper instans sibi Thucydides,

id. 10, 1, 73.—Hence, brĕvī, adv., briefly, in few words (freq. and class.):

brevi pro breviter M. Tullius de Orat. ad Quintum fratrem (1, 8, 34): ac ne plura quidem quae sunt innumerabilia consecter, comprehendam brevi,

Charis. p. 176 P.:

id percurram brevi,

Cic. Caecin. 32, 94:

aliquid explicare,

id. Planc. 40, 95 Wund.:

circumscribere et definire,

id. Sest. 45, 97; so id. ib. 5, 12 Orell. N. cr.; id. Fin. 1, 17, 55:

complecti,

id. de Or. 1, 42, 190:

exponere,

id. ib. 1, 46, 203:

reprehendere,

id. Inv. 1, 9, 12:

reddere,

id. Leg. 2, 14, 34:

respondere,

id. Fam. 3, 8, 1:

perscribere,

id. ib. 4, 5, 1; so Auct. Her. 4, 26, 35; 35, 47 al.; cf.:

in brevi,

Quint. 9, 4, 32.—So once in epistolary style: breve facere, to be short or brief:

quid scribam? breve faciam,

Cic. Att. 11, 7, 6; cf.:

longum est ea dicere, sed hoc breve dicam,

id. Sest. 5, 12.—Once, in breve cogere (diff. from I. A.), to comprise in few words, bring into a small compass:

in breve coactae causae,

Liv. 39, 47, 5; cf.:

in breve coactio causae,

Gai. Inst. 4, 15.— In late Lat. subst.: brĕvis, is, m. (sc. liber—acc. to another reading, brĕve, is, n.), a short catalogue, summary, = breviarium:

brevis nominum,

Vop. Aur. 36; so id. Bonos. 15; Lampr. Alex. Sev. 21; Hier. Ep. 5, n. 2 al.—

Of a short syllable;

rarely as adj.: Syllaba longa brevi subjecta vocatur iambus,

Hor. A. P. 251:

a brevis, gre brevis, faciet tamen longam priorem,

Quint. 9, 4, 86 et saep.—More freq. subst.: brĕvis, is, f. (sc. syllaba):

dactylus, qui est e longā et duabus brevibus,

Cic. Or. 64, 217 sq.:

in fine pro longā accipi brevem,

Quint. 9, 4, 93; 9, 4, 86:

plurimum habent celeritatis breves,

id. 9, 4, 91.—

Hence also once of a syllable long by position, but pronounced short: indoctus dicimus brevi primā litterā, insanus productā: inhumanus brevi, infelix longā,

Cic. Or. 48, 159 Meyer N. cr.; cf. Gell. 2, 17 sqq., and Schütz Lex. Cic. s. v. brevis.—

For parvus, exiguus, little, small:

exigua pars brevisque,

Lucr. 5, 591:

Canidia brevibus implicata viperis,

Hor. Epod. 5, 15:

Alecto brevibus torquata colubris,

Ov. H. 2, 119:

brevi latere ac pede longo est,

Hor. S. 1, 2, 93; cf.

just before: breve quod caput, ardua cervix, v. 89, and brevis alvus,

Verg. G. 3, 80 (on the other hand, Nemes. 244:

parvae alvi): mus,

Ov. F. 2, 574:

forma (sc. pueri in stellionem mutati),

id. M. 5, 457.—

So, lapathi herba,

Hor. S. 2, 4, 29 (brevis = parva, non excrescens in altum, Schol. Cruqu.):

folia breviora,

id. Ep. 1, 19, 26 (minor corona, Schol. Cruqu.):

census,

id. C. 2, 15, 13:

pondus,

id. S. 2, 2, 37:

impensa,

Ov. H. 7, 188 Ruhnk.:

sigillum,

id. M. 6, 86:

insulae,

Pall. 1, 28, 1; cf. Juv. 1, 73: vasculum, Pall. Apr. 8, 4:

offulae,

id. 1, 29, 4:

pantheris in candido breves macularum oculi,

Plin. 8, 17, 23, § 62.—With nom. abstr.:

breve in exiguo marmore nomen ero,

Prop. 2, 1, 72; Sen. Oedip. 935.—So, pondus, Hor. S. 2, 2, 37 al.—Hence, brĕ-vĭter, adv., shortly, briefly, etc.

Of space (acc. to I.) (rare): seu libeat, curvo brevius convertere gyro, shorter, i. e. in a smaller circle, Tib. 4, 1, 94:

parvo brevius quam totus,

a little less than the whole, Plin. 2, 67, 67, § 168:

Sarmatae, omisso arcu, quo brevius valent, contis gladiisque ruerent,

Tac. A. 6, 35.—Far more freq. in prose and poetry,

(Acc. to II. A. b. and c.) Of time, in a short time.

In gen.:

iratum breviter vites, inimicum diu, Publ. Syr. v. 249 Rib.: sapiens, cum breviter et strictim colore atque vultu motus est,

Gell. 19, 1, 20.—

Esp.

In expression, briefly, in brief, in few words, concisely, summarily:

sed breviter paucis praestat comprendere multa,

Lucr. 6, 1082: multa breviter et commode dicta (sc. apophthegmata; cf. Cic. Off. 1, 29, 104) memoriae mandabam, Cic. Lael. 1, 1:

rem totam breviter cognoscite,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 69, § 169; 2, 3, 27, § 67; so id. de Or. 2, 83, 340:

summatim breviterque describere,

id. Or. 15, 50:

breviter tangere,

id. Off. 3, 2, 8 Beier N. cr.:

breviter et modice disserere,

Sall. J. 111, 1:

adicere aliquid,

Quint. 9, 3, 100; cf. also Verg. A. 2, 11; 4, 632; 6, 321; Ov. M. 2, 783:

omnia soli Forsan Pacuvio breviter dabit (i.e. paucis testamenti verbis, quibus heres ex asse scribetur),

Juv. 12, 125 Web. (cf. id. 1, 68: beatum exiguis tabulis).— Comp., Cic. Fin. 4, 10, 26; Quint. 8, prooem. § 1; 8, 6, 61; 9, 2, 16; 10, 1, 49; 11, 1, 5 al.— Sup., Cic. N. D. 2, 1, 3; id. Div. 1, 32, 70; Quint. 1, 10, 1; 4, 2, 113 al.—

Of syllables:

quibus in verbis eae primae litterae sunt quae in sapiente atque felice, producte dicitur, in ceteris omnibus breviter,

Cic. Or. 48, 159.

brĕvis, e, adj. (abl. breve, Varr. R. R. 2, 3, 2; comp. abl. breviore, Ov. Am. 2, 17, 22) [cf. brachus, Fest. p. 26], short, little, of small extent, in space and time (opp. longus; in space, in good class. prose, diff. from parvus, which designates that which fills a small space in length, breadth, and thickness; while brevis is used only of length in its different directions of breadth, height, or depth; and even of a circle, as merely a line, and without reference to the space enclosed, v. infra. In poets and postAug. prose brevis sometimes = parvus).

Lit., in space.

In distance, extent, short, little, small, narrow (opp. latus), Cic. Ac. 2, 29, 92:

brevior via,

Nep. Eum. 8, 5; Tib. 1, 10, 4:

via brevis,

Verg. E. 9, 23; Ov. M. 5, 253; Juv. 14, 223:

cursus brevissimus,

Verg. A. 3, 507:

brevius iter,

Ov. P. 1, 4, 32:

cursu brevissimus Almo,

id. M. 14, 329:

quid mihi, quod lato non separor aequore, prodest? Num minus haec nobis tam brevis obstat aqua?

so narrow a stream, id. H. 18, 174; cf.

also brevis unda, opp. latum mare,

id. ib. 19, 141 and 142:

non Asiam brevioris aquae disterminat usquam fluctus ab Europā,

Luc. 9, 957 (strictioris, Schol.); cf. id. 9, 317:

brevissima terra,

Plin. Ep. 10, 69, 2:

in Euboico scopulus brevis emicat altō Gurgite,

a small, narrow rock, Ov. M. 9, 226:

brevibus Gyaris,

Juv. 1, 73:

scis In breve te cogi (sc. libellum),

that you are closely rolled together, Hor. Ep. 1, 20, 8:

quo brevius valent,

the nearer, the more powerful are they in conflict, Tac. A. 6, 35.—

Trop. of the journey of life:

quid est, quod in hoc tam exiguo vitae curriculo et tam brevi tantis nos in laboribus exerceamus?

Cic. Arch. 11, 28; cf.:

vitae brevis cursus, gloriae sempiternus,

id. Sest. 21, 47:

tum brevior dirae mortis aperta via est,

Tib. 1, 10, 4.—And poet. of the thread of life:

fila vitae breviora,

Ov. Tr. 5, 10, 46. —

In height, short, small, low (opp. altus and sometimes longus);

of the human figure: sed sedebat judex L. Aurifex, brevior ipse quam testis,

Cic. de Or. 2, 60, 245:

ut statura breves in digitos eriguntur,

Quint. 2, 3, 8:

forma,

Ov. M. 5, 457:

(puella) longa brevisque,

id. Am. 2, 4, 36:

brevis corpore,

Suet. Galb. 3;

id. Vit. Hor.—Of a maiden changed to a boy: et incomptis brevior mensura capillis,

Ov. M. 9, 789.—

Of other things: ut pleraque Alpium ab Italiā sicut breviora, ita arrectiora sunt,

lower, Liv. 21, 35, 11:

brevior ilex,

Sen. Herc. Oet. 1641:

mus,

little, Ov. F. 2, 574. —

In depth, small, little, shallow (opp. profundus):

puteus,

Juv. 3, 226:

vada,

Verg. A. 5, 221; Sen. Agam. 570.—Hence, subst.: brĕvia, ium, n., as in Gr. ta brachea, shallow places, shallows, shoals:

tris Eurus ab alto In brevia et syrtis urget,

Verg. A. 1, 111 (brevia vadosa dicit, per quae vadi pedibus potest, Serv.); Luc. 9, 338: neque discerni poterant incerta ab solidis, brevia a profundis, Tac. A. 1, 70:

brevia litorum,

id. ib. 6, 33 fin. —Perh. also in sing.:

breve,

Tac. A. 14, 29 Draeg. ad loc. (Ritter, brevia; al. breve litus).—

Trop.:

brevia, in quibus volutatur, incerta, ancipitia,

difficulties, Sen. Ep. 22, 7.—

Of the line of a circle:

ubi circulus (i.e. arcticus) axem Ultimus extremum spatioque brevissimus ambit,

makes the shortest path, Ov. M. 2, 517; cf.

of similar orbits, of stars: absides breviores,

Plin. 2. 15, 13, §

63.—Of the circular course of a horse on the track: discit gyro breviore flecti,

Sen. Hippol. 314. —

Transf., of time.

Lit. (the usu. signif. of the word), short, brief, small, little.

In gen.:

quanto, nox, fuisti longior hac proxumā, Tanto brevior dies ut fiat faciam,

Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 51:

breve spatium'st perferundi quae minitas mihi,

id. Capt. 3, 5, 85:

brevis hora,

Lucr. 4, 179; so Ov. M. 4, 696: Pa. Brevin' an longinquo sermone? Mi. Tribus verbis, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 30:

occasio,

Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 57; Phaedr. 5, 8, 5:

brevis hic est fructus homulleis,

short is this enjoyment for little men, Lucr. 3, 927; cf.:

MORS. PERFECIT. TVA. VT. TIBE. ESSENT. OMNIA. BREVIA. HONOS. FAMA. VIRTVSQVE. GLORIA. ATQVE. INGENIVM.,

Inscr. Orell. 558:

omnia brevia tolerabilia esse debent,

Cic. Lael. 27, 104; id. Fin. 1, 12, 40; 2, 29, 94; id. Tusc. 1, 39, 94; Sen. Ira, 3, 43, 5:

quoniam vita brevis est, memoriam nostri quam maxime longam efficere,

Sall. C. 1, 3; so,

vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam,

Hor. C. 1, 4, 15; cf. id. ib. 1, 11, 6:

aut omnia breviora aliquanto fuere, aut Saguntum principio anni captum,

occupied a shorter time, Liv. 21, 15, 5:

brevissimum tempus,

id. 5, 6, 7:

detrimentum,

Quint. 11, 1, 10:

arbitrium mortis,

Tac. A. 15, 60:

breves populi Romani amores,

id. ib. 2, 41:

tempus,

Suet. Ner. 20 al.:

nobis quom semel occidit brevis lux, nox est perpetua una dormienda,

Cat. 5, 5:

fructus,

Lucr. 3, 914:

aevum,

Hor. C. 2, 16, 17; id. S. 2, 6, 97; id. Ep. 2, 1, 144; Plin. Pan. 78, 2:

anni,

Hor. C. 4, 13, 22:

ver,

Ov. M. 1, 118; 10, 85:

flores rosae,

quickly withering, short-lived, Hor. C. 2, 3, 13:

lilium,

id. ib. 1, 36, 16:

cena,

frugal, id. Ep. 1, 14, 35:

mensa,

id. A. P. 198:

dominus,

living but a short time, id. C. 2, 14, 24:

stultitia,

id. ib. 4, 12, 27:

ira furor brevis est,

id. Ep. 1, 2, 62:

actio brevis atque concisa,

Quint. 6, 4, 2:

somnus,

Sen. Troad. 441:

nec gratius quicquam decore nec brevius,

nothing is more acceptable, but nothing more perishable, fading, than beauty, Suet. Dom. 18:

domus,

Sen. Hippol. 762:

fortuna,

Sil. 4, 734.—

Esp.

Comp. brevius, with subj. clause, shorter, i.e. easier, more convenient:

brevius visum urbana crimina incipi, quorum obvii testes erant,

Tac. A. 13, 43: modo ne existimes brevius esse ab urbe mitti, Trag. ap. Plin. Ep. 10, 40 (49), 3.—

In brevi spatio, brevi spatio, in brevi tempore, brevi tempore, and absol. brevi or in brevi, in a short time, shortly (before or after) (brevi tempore and brevi are class.; the latter, as in Gr. en brachei, to be considered as neuter, without supplying tempore):

inque brevi spatio mutantur saecla animantum,

Lucr. 2, 77; so Ter. Heaut. 5, 2, 2; Suet. Claud. 12; id. Ner. 30; cf.:

in multo breviore temporis spatio,

id. Aug. 22:

multa brevi spatio simulacra geruntur,

Lucr. 4, 160; Sall. J. 87, 3:

spatio brevi,

Hor. C. 1, 11, 6:

res publica per vos brevi tempore jus suum recuperabit,

Cic. Fam. 12, 2, 3; 5, 21, 2; id. Tusc. 2, 2, 5; Caes. B. G. 1, 40, 11; Nep. Milt. 2, 1; id. Them. 1, 4; Suet. Caes. 3:

sic ille affectus, brevi postea est mortuus,

soon after, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 54, § 142 (Zumpt;

acc. to MSS. perbrevi).—So brevi post = paulo post: brevi post Marcellus Romam venit,

Liv. 33, 37, 9; 24, 3, 14:

brevi deinde,

id. 24, 4, 9: (Britanni) tantum usu cotidiano et exercitatione efficiunt, uti in declivi ac praecipiti loco incitatos equos sustinere et brevi ( in a short time, i.e. with great rapidity) moderari ac flectere consuerint, Caes. B. G. 4, 33 fin. Herz. and Held.:

fama tanti facinoris per omnem Africam brevi divolgatur,

Sall. J. 13, 1; Nep. Them. 4, 4:

mirantur tam brevi rem Romanam crevisse,

Liv. 1, 9, 9:

brevi omnia subegit,

Suet. Caes. 34; so id. Aug. 17; 65; id. Vesp. 5; id. Gram. 3; Gell. 1, 15, 18: scire in brevi, Afran. ap. Charis. p. 186 P.; Flor. 1, 1, 15.—

Brevi, a short time, a little while: [p. 251] cunctatusque brevi, contortam viribus hastam in Persea misit, Ov. M. 5, 32; cf.:

illa brevi spatio silet,

id. ib. 7, 307; so,

* breve,

Cat. 61, 187.—

Ad breve, for a short time, Suet. Tib. 68; cf.:

ad breve quoddam tempus,

Cic. Cat. 1, 13, 31.—

Transf. to things done or taking place in a short time; so most freq.

Of discourse, short, brief, concise (most freq. in Cic. and Quint.):

narratio,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 28; id. de Or. 3, 50, 196: laudatio;

comprehensio et ambitus ille verborum erat apud illum contractus et brevis,

id. Brut. 44, 162; cf. id. de Or. 2, 80, 326:

nunc venio ad illa tua brevia: et primum illud, quo nihil potest esse brevius: bonum omne laudabile, etc.,

id. Fin. 4, 18, 48:

quam falsa re! quam brevia responsu!

id. Clu. 59, 164: urbanitas est virtus quaedam in breve dictum coacta, Dom. Mars. ap. Quint. 6, 3, 104:

Homerus brevem eloquentiam Menelao dedit,

Quint. 12, 10, 64 (brevis = ou polumuthos, Hom. Il. 3, 214):

breviores commentarii,

Quint. 3, 8, 58:

annotatio,

id. 10, 7, 31:

brevia illa atque concisa,

id. 10, 7, 10; so,

sententiae,

id. 10, 1, 60:

causae,

id. 6, 1, 8:

docendi compendia,

id. 1, 1, 24:

comprehensiones,

id. 12, 2, 19:

quod ut brevissimo pateat exemplo,

id. 3, 6, 10: commendatio, requiring few words, i.e. moderate, Plin. 11, 42, 97, § 240.— Meton. of a speaker or orator, brief:

multos imitatio brevitatis decipit, ut cum se breves putent esse, longissimi sint,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 38:

brevior in scribendo,

id. Att. 5, 6, 2:

brevis esse laboro, Obscurus fio,

Hor. A. P. 25:

in eloquendo brevis,

Quint. 10, 1, 63:

densus et brevis et semper instans sibi Thucydides,

id. 10, 1, 73.—Hence, brĕvī, adv., briefly, in few words (freq. and class.):

brevi pro breviter M. Tullius de Orat. ad Quintum fratrem (1, 8, 34): ac ne plura quidem quae sunt innumerabilia consecter, comprehendam brevi,

Charis. p. 176 P.:

id percurram brevi,

Cic. Caecin. 32, 94:

aliquid explicare,

id. Planc. 40, 95 Wund.:

circumscribere et definire,

id. Sest. 45, 97; so id. ib. 5, 12 Orell. N. cr.; id. Fin. 1, 17, 55:

complecti,

id. de Or. 1, 42, 190:

exponere,

id. ib. 1, 46, 203:

reprehendere,

id. Inv. 1, 9, 12:

reddere,

id. Leg. 2, 14, 34:

respondere,

id. Fam. 3, 8, 1:

perscribere,

id. ib. 4, 5, 1; so Auct. Her. 4, 26, 35; 35, 47 al.; cf.:

in brevi,

Quint. 9, 4, 32.—So once in epistolary style: breve facere, to be short or brief:

quid scribam? breve faciam,

Cic. Att. 11, 7, 6; cf.:

longum est ea dicere, sed hoc breve dicam,

id. Sest. 5, 12.—Once, in breve cogere (diff. from I. A.), to comprise in few words, bring into a small compass:

in breve coactae causae,

Liv. 39, 47, 5; cf.:

in breve coactio causae,

Gai. Inst. 4, 15.— In late Lat. subst.: brĕvis, is, m. (sc. liber—acc. to another reading, brĕve, is, n.), a short catalogue, summary, = breviarium:

brevis nominum,

Vop. Aur. 36; so id. Bonos. 15; Lampr. Alex. Sev. 21; Hier. Ep. 5, n. 2 al.—

Of a short syllable;

rarely as adj.: Syllaba longa brevi subjecta vocatur iambus,

Hor. A. P. 251:

a brevis, gre brevis, faciet tamen longam priorem,

Quint. 9, 4, 86 et saep.—More freq. subst.: brĕvis, is, f. (sc. syllaba):

dactylus, qui est e longā et duabus brevibus,

Cic. Or. 64, 217 sq.:

in fine pro longā accipi brevem,

Quint. 9, 4, 93; 9, 4, 86:

plurimum habent celeritatis breves,

id. 9, 4, 91.—

Hence also once of a syllable long by position, but pronounced short: indoctus dicimus brevi primā litterā, insanus productā: inhumanus brevi, infelix longā,

Cic. Or. 48, 159 Meyer N. cr.; cf. Gell. 2, 17 sqq., and Schütz Lex. Cic. s. v. brevis.—

For parvus, exiguus, little, small:

exigua pars brevisque,

Lucr. 5, 591:

Canidia brevibus implicata viperis,

Hor. Epod. 5, 15:

Alecto brevibus torquata colubris,

Ov. H. 2, 119:

brevi latere ac pede longo est,

Hor. S. 1, 2, 93; cf.

just before: breve quod caput, ardua cervix, v. 89, and brevis alvus,

Verg. G. 3, 80 (on the other hand, Nemes. 244:

parvae alvi): mus,

Ov. F. 2, 574:

forma (sc. pueri in stellionem mutati),

id. M. 5, 457.—

So, lapathi herba,

Hor. S. 2, 4, 29 (brevis = parva, non excrescens in altum, Schol. Cruqu.):

folia breviora,

id. Ep. 1, 19, 26 (minor corona, Schol. Cruqu.):

census,

id. C. 2, 15, 13:

pondus,

id. S. 2, 2, 37:

impensa,

Ov. H. 7, 188 Ruhnk.:

sigillum,

id. M. 6, 86:

insulae,

Pall. 1, 28, 1; cf. Juv. 1, 73: vasculum, Pall. Apr. 8, 4:

offulae,

id. 1, 29, 4:

pantheris in candido breves macularum oculi,

Plin. 8, 17, 23, § 62.—With nom. abstr.:

breve in exiguo marmore nomen ero,

Prop. 2, 1, 72; Sen. Oedip. 935.—So, pondus, Hor. S. 2, 2, 37 al.—Hence, brĕ-vĭter, adv., shortly, briefly, etc.

Of space (acc. to I.) (rare): seu libeat, curvo brevius convertere gyro, shorter, i. e. in a smaller circle, Tib. 4, 1, 94:

parvo brevius quam totus,

a little less than the whole, Plin. 2, 67, 67, § 168:

Sarmatae, omisso arcu, quo brevius valent, contis gladiisque ruerent,

Tac. A. 6, 35.—Far more freq. in prose and poetry,

(Acc. to II. A. b. and c.) Of time, in a short time.

In gen.:

iratum breviter vites, inimicum diu, Publ. Syr. v. 249 Rib.: sapiens, cum breviter et strictim colore atque vultu motus est,

Gell. 19, 1, 20.—

Esp.

In expression, briefly, in brief, in few words, concisely, summarily:

sed breviter paucis praestat comprendere multa,

Lucr. 6, 1082: multa breviter et commode dicta (sc. apophthegmata; cf. Cic. Off. 1, 29, 104) memoriae mandabam, Cic. Lael. 1, 1:

rem totam breviter cognoscite,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 69, § 169; 2, 3, 27, § 67; so id. de Or. 2, 83, 340:

summatim breviterque describere,

id. Or. 15, 50:

breviter tangere,

id. Off. 3, 2, 8 Beier N. cr.:

breviter et modice disserere,

Sall. J. 111, 1:

adicere aliquid,

Quint. 9, 3, 100; cf. also Verg. A. 2, 11; 4, 632; 6, 321; Ov. M. 2, 783:

omnia soli Forsan Pacuvio breviter dabit (i.e. paucis testamenti verbis, quibus heres ex asse scribetur),

Juv. 12, 125 Web. (cf. id. 1, 68: beatum exiguis tabulis).— Comp., Cic. Fin. 4, 10, 26; Quint. 8, prooem. § 1; 8, 6, 61; 9, 2, 16; 10, 1, 49; 11, 1, 5 al.— Sup., Cic. N. D. 2, 1, 3; id. Div. 1, 32, 70; Quint. 1, 10, 1; 4, 2, 113 al.—

Of syllables:

quibus in verbis eae primae litterae sunt quae in sapiente atque felice, producte dicitur, in ceteris omnibus breviter,

Cic. Or. 48, 159.

brĕvis, e, adj. (abl. breve, Varr. R. R. 2, 3, 2; comp. abl. breviore, Ov. Am. 2, 17, 22) [cf. brachus, Fest. p. 26], short, little, of small extent, in space and time (opp. longus; in space, in good class. prose, diff. from parvus, which designates that which fills a small space in length, breadth, and thickness; while brevis is used only of length in its different directions of breadth, height, or depth; and even of a circle, as merely a line, and without reference to the space enclosed, v. infra. In poets and postAug. prose brevis sometimes = parvus).

Lit., in space.

In distance, extent, short, little, small, narrow (opp. latus), Cic. Ac. 2, 29, 92:

brevior via,

Nep. Eum. 8, 5; Tib. 1, 10, 4:

via brevis,

Verg. E. 9, 23; Ov. M. 5, 253; Juv. 14, 223:

cursus brevissimus,

Verg. A. 3, 507:

brevius iter,

Ov. P. 1, 4, 32:

cursu brevissimus Almo,

id. M. 14, 329:

quid mihi, quod lato non separor aequore, prodest? Num minus haec nobis tam brevis obstat aqua?

so narrow a stream, id. H. 18, 174; cf.

also brevis unda, opp. latum mare,

id. ib. 19, 141 and 142:

non Asiam brevioris aquae disterminat usquam fluctus ab Europā,

Luc. 9, 957 (strictioris, Schol.); cf. id. 9, 317:

brevissima terra,

Plin. Ep. 10, 69, 2:

in Euboico scopulus brevis emicat altō Gurgite,

a small, narrow rock, Ov. M. 9, 226:

brevibus Gyaris,

Juv. 1, 73:

scis In breve te cogi (sc. libellum),

that you are closely rolled together, Hor. Ep. 1, 20, 8:

quo brevius valent,

the nearer, the more powerful are they in conflict, Tac. A. 6, 35.—

Trop. of the journey of life:

quid est, quod in hoc tam exiguo vitae curriculo et tam brevi tantis nos in laboribus exerceamus?

Cic. Arch. 11, 28; cf.:

vitae brevis cursus, gloriae sempiternus,

id. Sest. 21, 47:

tum brevior dirae mortis aperta via est,

Tib. 1, 10, 4.—And poet. of the thread of life:

fila vitae breviora,

Ov. Tr. 5, 10, 46. —

In height, short, small, low (opp. altus and sometimes longus);

of the human figure: sed sedebat judex L. Aurifex, brevior ipse quam testis,

Cic. de Or. 2, 60, 245:

ut statura breves in digitos eriguntur,

Quint. 2, 3, 8:

forma,

Ov. M. 5, 457:

(puella) longa brevisque,

id. Am. 2, 4, 36:

brevis corpore,

Suet. Galb. 3;

id. Vit. Hor.—Of a maiden changed to a boy: et incomptis brevior mensura capillis,

Ov. M. 9, 789.—

Of other things: ut pleraque Alpium ab Italiā sicut breviora, ita arrectiora sunt,

lower, Liv. 21, 35, 11:

brevior ilex,

Sen. Herc. Oet. 1641:

mus,

little, Ov. F. 2, 574. —

In depth, small, little, shallow (opp. profundus):

puteus,

Juv. 3, 226:

vada,

Verg. A. 5, 221; Sen. Agam. 570.—Hence, subst.: brĕvia, ium, n., as in Gr. ta brachea, shallow places, shallows, shoals:

tris Eurus ab alto In brevia et syrtis urget,

Verg. A. 1, 111 (brevia vadosa dicit, per quae vadi pedibus potest, Serv.); Luc. 9, 338: neque discerni poterant incerta ab solidis, brevia a profundis, Tac. A. 1, 70:

brevia litorum,

id. ib. 6, 33 fin. —Perh. also in sing.:

breve,

Tac. A. 14, 29 Draeg. ad loc. (Ritter, brevia; al. breve litus).—

Trop.:

brevia, in quibus volutatur, incerta, ancipitia,

difficulties, Sen. Ep. 22, 7.—

Of the line of a circle:

ubi circulus (i.e. arcticus) axem Ultimus extremum spatioque brevissimus ambit,

makes the shortest path, Ov. M. 2, 517; cf.

of similar orbits, of stars: absides breviores,

Plin. 2. 15, 13, §

63.—Of the circular course of a horse on the track: discit gyro breviore flecti,

Sen. Hippol. 314. —

Transf., of time.

Lit. (the usu. signif. of the word), short, brief, small, little.

In gen.:

quanto, nox, fuisti longior hac proxumā, Tanto brevior dies ut fiat faciam,

Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 51:

breve spatium'st perferundi quae minitas mihi,

id. Capt. 3, 5, 85:

brevis hora,

Lucr. 4, 179; so Ov. M. 4, 696: Pa. Brevin' an longinquo sermone? Mi. Tribus verbis, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 30:

occasio,

Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 57; Phaedr. 5, 8, 5:

brevis hic est fructus homulleis,

short is this enjoyment for little men, Lucr. 3, 927; cf.:

MORS. PERFECIT. TVA. VT. TIBE. ESSENT. OMNIA. BREVIA. HONOS. FAMA. VIRTVSQVE. GLORIA. ATQVE. INGENIVM.,

Inscr. Orell. 558:

omnia brevia tolerabilia esse debent,

Cic. Lael. 27, 104; id. Fin. 1, 12, 40; 2, 29, 94; id. Tusc. 1, 39, 94; Sen. Ira, 3, 43, 5:

quoniam vita brevis est, memoriam nostri quam maxime longam efficere,

Sall. C. 1, 3; so,

vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam,

Hor. C. 1, 4, 15; cf. id. ib. 1, 11, 6:

aut omnia breviora aliquanto fuere, aut Saguntum principio anni captum,

occupied a shorter time, Liv. 21, 15, 5:

brevissimum tempus,

id. 5, 6, 7:

detrimentum,

Quint. 11, 1, 10:

arbitrium mortis,

Tac. A. 15, 60:

breves populi Romani amores,

id. ib. 2, 41:

tempus,

Suet. Ner. 20 al.:

nobis quom semel occidit brevis lux, nox est perpetua una dormienda,

Cat. 5, 5:

fructus,

Lucr. 3, 914:

aevum,

Hor. C. 2, 16, 17; id. S. 2, 6, 97; id. Ep. 2, 1, 144; Plin. Pan. 78, 2:

anni,

Hor. C. 4, 13, 22:

ver,

Ov. M. 1, 118; 10, 85:

flores rosae,

quickly withering, short-lived, Hor. C. 2, 3, 13:

lilium,

id. ib. 1, 36, 16:

cena,

frugal, id. Ep. 1, 14, 35:

mensa,

id. A. P. 198:

dominus,

living but a short time, id. C. 2, 14, 24:

stultitia,

id. ib. 4, 12, 27:

ira furor brevis est,

id. Ep. 1, 2, 62:

actio brevis atque concisa,

Quint. 6, 4, 2:

somnus,

Sen. Troad. 441:

nec gratius quicquam decore nec brevius,

nothing is more acceptable, but nothing more perishable, fading, than beauty, Suet. Dom. 18:

domus,

Sen. Hippol. 762:

fortuna,

Sil. 4, 734.—

Esp.

Comp. brevius, with subj. clause, shorter, i.e. easier, more convenient:

brevius visum urbana crimina incipi, quorum obvii testes erant,

Tac. A. 13, 43: modo ne existimes brevius esse ab urbe mitti, Trag. ap. Plin. Ep. 10, 40 (49), 3.—

In brevi spatio, brevi spatio, in brevi tempore, brevi tempore, and absol. brevi or in brevi, in a short time, shortly (before or after) (brevi tempore and brevi are class.; the latter, as in Gr. en brachei, to be considered as neuter, without supplying tempore):

inque brevi spatio mutantur saecla animantum,

Lucr. 2, 77; so Ter. Heaut. 5, 2, 2; Suet. Claud. 12; id. Ner. 30; cf.:

in multo breviore temporis spatio,

id. Aug. 22:

multa brevi spatio simulacra geruntur,

Lucr. 4, 160; Sall. J. 87, 3:

spatio brevi,

Hor. C. 1, 11, 6:

res publica per vos brevi tempore jus suum recuperabit,

Cic. Fam. 12, 2, 3; 5, 21, 2; id. Tusc. 2, 2, 5; Caes. B. G. 1, 40, 11; Nep. Milt. 2, 1; id. Them. 1, 4; Suet. Caes. 3:

sic ille affectus, brevi postea est mortuus,

soon after, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 54, § 142 (Zumpt;

acc. to MSS. perbrevi).—So brevi post = paulo post: brevi post Marcellus Romam venit,

Liv. 33, 37, 9; 24, 3, 14:

brevi deinde,

id. 24, 4, 9: (Britanni) tantum usu cotidiano et exercitatione efficiunt, uti in declivi ac praecipiti loco incitatos equos sustinere et brevi ( in a short time, i.e. with great rapidity) moderari ac flectere consuerint, Caes. B. G. 4, 33 fin. Herz. and Held.:

fama tanti facinoris per omnem Africam brevi divolgatur,

Sall. J. 13, 1; Nep. Them. 4, 4:

mirantur tam brevi rem Romanam crevisse,

Liv. 1, 9, 9:

brevi omnia subegit,

Suet. Caes. 34; so id. Aug. 17; 65; id. Vesp. 5; id. Gram. 3; Gell. 1, 15, 18: scire in brevi, Afran. ap. Charis. p. 186 P.; Flor. 1, 1, 15.—

Brevi, a short time, a little while: [p. 251] cunctatusque brevi, contortam viribus hastam in Persea misit, Ov. M. 5, 32; cf.:

illa brevi spatio silet,

id. ib. 7, 307; so,

* breve,

Cat. 61, 187.—

Ad breve, for a short time, Suet. Tib. 68; cf.:

ad breve quoddam tempus,

Cic. Cat. 1, 13, 31.—

Transf. to things done or taking place in a short time; so most freq.

Of discourse, short, brief, concise (most freq. in Cic. and Quint.):

narratio,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 28; id. de Or. 3, 50, 196: laudatio;

comprehensio et ambitus ille verborum erat apud illum contractus et brevis,

id. Brut. 44, 162; cf. id. de Or. 2, 80, 326:

nunc venio ad illa tua brevia: et primum illud, quo nihil potest esse brevius: bonum omne laudabile, etc.,

id. Fin. 4, 18, 48:

quam falsa re! quam brevia responsu!

id. Clu. 59, 164: urbanitas est virtus quaedam in breve dictum coacta, Dom. Mars. ap. Quint. 6, 3, 104:

Homerus brevem eloquentiam Menelao dedit,

Quint. 12, 10, 64 (brevis = ou polumuthos, Hom. Il. 3, 214):

breviores commentarii,

Quint. 3, 8, 58:

annotatio,

id. 10, 7, 31:

brevia illa atque concisa,

id. 10, 7, 10; so,

sententiae,

id. 10, 1, 60:

causae,

id. 6, 1, 8:

docendi compendia,

id. 1, 1, 24:

comprehensiones,

id. 12, 2, 19:

quod ut brevissimo pateat exemplo,

id. 3, 6, 10: commendatio, requiring few words, i.e. moderate, Plin. 11, 42, 97, § 240.— Meton. of a speaker or orator, brief:

multos imitatio brevitatis decipit, ut cum se breves putent esse, longissimi sint,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 38:

brevior in scribendo,

id. Att. 5, 6, 2:

brevis esse laboro, Obscurus fio,

Hor. A. P. 25:

in eloquendo brevis,

Quint. 10, 1, 63:

densus et brevis et semper instans sibi Thucydides,

id. 10, 1, 73.—Hence, brĕvī, adv., briefly, in few words (freq. and class.):

brevi pro breviter M. Tullius de Orat. ad Quintum fratrem (1, 8, 34): ac ne plura quidem quae sunt innumerabilia consecter, comprehendam brevi,

Charis. p. 176 P.:

id percurram brevi,

Cic. Caecin. 32, 94:

aliquid explicare,

id. Planc. 40, 95 Wund.:

circumscribere et definire,

id. Sest. 45, 97; so id. ib. 5, 12 Orell. N. cr.; id. Fin. 1, 17, 55:

complecti,

id. de Or. 1, 42, 190:

exponere,

id. ib. 1, 46, 203:

reprehendere,

id. Inv. 1, 9, 12:

reddere,

id. Leg. 2, 14, 34:

respondere,

id. Fam. 3, 8, 1:

perscribere,

id. ib. 4, 5, 1; so Auct. Her. 4, 26, 35; 35, 47 al.; cf.:

in brevi,

Quint. 9, 4, 32.—So once in epistolary style: breve facere, to be short or brief:

quid scribam? breve faciam,

Cic. Att. 11, 7, 6; cf.:

longum est ea dicere, sed hoc breve dicam,

id. Sest. 5, 12.—Once, in breve cogere (diff. from I. A.), to comprise in few words, bring into a small compass:

in breve coactae causae,

Liv. 39, 47, 5; cf.:

in breve coactio causae,

Gai. Inst. 4, 15.— In late Lat. subst.: brĕvis, is, m. (sc. liber—acc. to another reading, brĕve, is, n.), a short catalogue, summary, = breviarium:

brevis nominum,

Vop. Aur. 36; so id. Bonos. 15; Lampr. Alex. Sev. 21; Hier. Ep. 5, n. 2 al.—

Of a short syllable;

rarely as adj.: Syllaba longa brevi subjecta vocatur iambus,

Hor. A. P. 251:

a brevis, gre brevis, faciet tamen longam priorem,

Quint. 9, 4, 86 et saep.—More freq. subst.: brĕvis, is, f. (sc. syllaba):

dactylus, qui est e longā et duabus brevibus,

Cic. Or. 64, 217 sq.:

in fine pro longā accipi brevem,

Quint. 9, 4, 93; 9, 4, 86:

plurimum habent celeritatis breves,

id. 9, 4, 91.—

Hence also once of a syllable long by position, but pronounced short: indoctus dicimus brevi primā litterā, insanus productā: inhumanus brevi, infelix longā,

Cic. Or. 48, 159 Meyer N. cr.; cf. Gell. 2, 17 sqq., and Schütz Lex. Cic. s. v. brevis.—

For parvus, exiguus, little, small:

exigua pars brevisque,

Lucr. 5, 591:

Canidia brevibus implicata viperis,

Hor. Epod. 5, 15:

Alecto brevibus torquata colubris,

Ov. H. 2, 119:

brevi latere ac pede longo est,

Hor. S. 1, 2, 93; cf.

just before: breve quod caput, ardua cervix, v. 89, and brevis alvus,

Verg. G. 3, 80 (on the other hand, Nemes. 244:

parvae alvi): mus,

Ov. F. 2, 574:

forma (sc. pueri in stellionem mutati),

id. M. 5, 457.—

So, lapathi herba,

Hor. S. 2, 4, 29 (brevis = parva, non excrescens in altum, Schol. Cruqu.):

folia breviora,

id. Ep. 1, 19, 26 (minor corona, Schol. Cruqu.):

census,

id. C. 2, 15, 13:

pondus,

id. S. 2, 2, 37:

impensa,

Ov. H. 7, 188 Ruhnk.:

sigillum,

id. M. 6, 86:

insulae,

Pall. 1, 28, 1; cf. Juv. 1, 73: vasculum, Pall. Apr. 8, 4:

offulae,

id. 1, 29, 4:

pantheris in candido breves macularum oculi,

Plin. 8, 17, 23, § 62.—With nom. abstr.:

breve in exiguo marmore nomen ero,

Prop. 2, 1, 72; Sen. Oedip. 935.—So, pondus, Hor. S. 2, 2, 37 al.—Hence, brĕ-vĭter, adv., shortly, briefly, etc.

Of space (acc. to I.) (rare): seu libeat, curvo brevius convertere gyro, shorter, i. e. in a smaller circle, Tib. 4, 1, 94:

parvo brevius quam totus,

a little less than the whole, Plin. 2, 67, 67, § 168:

Sarmatae, omisso arcu, quo brevius valent, contis gladiisque ruerent,

Tac. A. 6, 35.—Far more freq. in prose and poetry,

(Acc. to II. A. b. and c.) Of time, in a short time.

In gen.:

iratum breviter vites, inimicum diu, Publ. Syr. v. 249 Rib.: sapiens, cum breviter et strictim colore atque vultu motus est,

Gell. 19, 1, 20.—

Esp.

In expression, briefly, in brief, in few words, concisely, summarily:

sed breviter paucis praestat comprendere multa,

Lucr. 6, 1082: multa breviter et commode dicta (sc. apophthegmata; cf. Cic. Off. 1, 29, 104) memoriae mandabam, Cic. Lael. 1, 1:

rem totam breviter cognoscite,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 69, § 169; 2, 3, 27, § 67; so id. de Or. 2, 83, 340:

summatim breviterque describere,

id. Or. 15, 50:

breviter tangere,

id. Off. 3, 2, 8 Beier N. cr.:

breviter et modice disserere,

Sall. J. 111, 1:

adicere aliquid,

Quint. 9, 3, 100; cf. also Verg. A. 2, 11; 4, 632; 6, 321; Ov. M. 2, 783:

omnia soli Forsan Pacuvio breviter dabit (i.e. paucis testamenti verbis, quibus heres ex asse scribetur),

Juv. 12, 125 Web. (cf. id. 1, 68: beatum exiguis tabulis).— Comp., Cic. Fin. 4, 10, 26; Quint. 8, prooem. § 1; 8, 6, 61; 9, 2, 16; 10, 1, 49; 11, 1, 5 al.— Sup., Cic. N. D. 2, 1, 3; id. Div. 1, 32, 70; Quint. 1, 10, 1; 4, 2, 113 al.—

Of syllables:

quibus in verbis eae primae litterae sunt quae in sapiente atque felice, producte dicitur, in ceteris omnibus breviter,

Cic. Or. 48, 159.

brĕvis, e, adj. (abl. breve, Varr. R. R. 2, 3, 2; comp. abl. breviore, Ov. Am. 2, 17, 22) [cf. brachus, Fest. p. 26], short, little, of small extent, in space and time (opp. longus; in space, in good class. prose, diff. from parvus, which designates that which fills a small space in length, breadth, and thickness; while brevis is used only of length in its different directions of breadth, height, or depth; and even of a circle, as merely a line, and without reference to the space enclosed, v. infra. In poets and postAug. prose brevis sometimes = parvus).

Lit., in space.

In distance, extent, short, little, small, narrow (opp. latus), Cic. Ac. 2, 29, 92:

brevior via,

Nep. Eum. 8, 5; Tib. 1, 10, 4:

via brevis,

Verg. E. 9, 23; Ov. M. 5, 253; Juv. 14, 223:

cursus brevissimus,

Verg. A. 3, 507:

brevius iter,

Ov. P. 1, 4, 32:

cursu brevissimus Almo,

id. M. 14, 329:

quid mihi, quod lato non separor aequore, prodest? Num minus haec nobis tam brevis obstat aqua?

so narrow a stream, id. H. 18, 174; cf.

also brevis unda, opp. latum mare,

id. ib. 19, 141 and 142:

non Asiam brevioris aquae disterminat usquam fluctus ab Europā,

Luc. 9, 957 (strictioris, Schol.); cf. id. 9, 317:

brevissima terra,

Plin. Ep. 10, 69, 2:

in Euboico scopulus brevis emicat altō Gurgite,

a small, narrow rock, Ov. M. 9, 226:

brevibus Gyaris,

Juv. 1, 73:

scis In breve te cogi (sc. libellum),

that you are closely rolled together, Hor. Ep. 1, 20, 8:

quo brevius valent,

the nearer, the more powerful are they in conflict, Tac. A. 6, 35.—

Trop. of the journey of life:

quid est, quod in hoc tam exiguo vitae curriculo et tam brevi tantis nos in laboribus exerceamus?

Cic. Arch. 11, 28; cf.:

vitae brevis cursus, gloriae sempiternus,

id. Sest. 21, 47:

tum brevior dirae mortis aperta via est,

Tib. 1, 10, 4.—And poet. of the thread of life:

fila vitae breviora,

Ov. Tr. 5, 10, 46. —

In height, short, small, low (opp. altus and sometimes longus);

of the human figure: sed sedebat judex L. Aurifex, brevior ipse quam testis,

Cic. de Or. 2, 60, 245:

ut statura breves in digitos eriguntur,

Quint. 2, 3, 8:

forma,

Ov. M. 5, 457:

(puella) longa brevisque,

id. Am. 2, 4, 36:

brevis corpore,

Suet. Galb. 3;

id. Vit. Hor.—Of a maiden changed to a boy: et incomptis brevior mensura capillis,

Ov. M. 9, 789.—

Of other things: ut pleraque Alpium ab Italiā sicut breviora, ita arrectiora sunt,

lower, Liv. 21, 35, 11:

brevior ilex,

Sen. Herc. Oet. 1641:

mus,

little, Ov. F. 2, 574. —

In depth, small, little, shallow (opp. profundus):

puteus,

Juv. 3, 226:

vada,

Verg. A. 5, 221; Sen. Agam. 570.—Hence, subst.: brĕvia, ium, n., as in Gr. ta brachea, shallow places, shallows, shoals:

tris Eurus ab alto In brevia et syrtis urget,

Verg. A. 1, 111 (brevia vadosa dicit, per quae vadi pedibus potest, Serv.); Luc. 9, 338: neque discerni poterant incerta ab solidis, brevia a profundis, Tac. A. 1, 70:

brevia litorum,

id. ib. 6, 33 fin. —Perh. also in sing.:

breve,

Tac. A. 14, 29 Draeg. ad loc. (Ritter, brevia; al. breve litus).—

Trop.:

brevia, in quibus volutatur, incerta, ancipitia,

difficulties, Sen. Ep. 22, 7.—

Of the line of a circle:

ubi circulus (i.e. arcticus) axem Ultimus extremum spatioque brevissimus ambit,

makes the shortest path, Ov. M. 2, 517; cf.

of similar orbits, of stars: absides breviores,

Plin. 2. 15, 13, §

63.—Of the circular course of a horse on the track: discit gyro breviore flecti,

Sen. Hippol. 314. —

Transf., of time.

Lit. (the usu. signif. of the word), short, brief, small, little.

In gen.:

quanto, nox, fuisti longior hac proxumā, Tanto brevior dies ut fiat faciam,

Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 51:

breve spatium'st perferundi quae minitas mihi,

id. Capt. 3, 5, 85:

brevis hora,

Lucr. 4, 179; so Ov. M. 4, 696: Pa. Brevin' an longinquo sermone? Mi. Tribus verbis, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 30:

occasio,

Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 57; Phaedr. 5, 8, 5:

brevis hic est fructus homulleis,

short is this enjoyment for little men, Lucr. 3, 927; cf.:

MORS. PERFECIT. TVA. VT. TIBE. ESSENT. OMNIA. BREVIA. HONOS. FAMA. VIRTVSQVE. GLORIA. ATQVE. INGENIVM.,

Inscr. Orell. 558:

omnia brevia tolerabilia esse debent,

Cic. Lael. 27, 104; id. Fin. 1, 12, 40; 2, 29, 94; id. Tusc. 1, 39, 94; Sen. Ira, 3, 43, 5:

quoniam vita brevis est, memoriam nostri quam maxime longam efficere,

Sall. C. 1, 3; so,

vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam,

Hor. C. 1, 4, 15; cf. id. ib. 1, 11, 6:

aut omnia breviora aliquanto fuere, aut Saguntum principio anni captum,

occupied a shorter time, Liv. 21, 15, 5:

brevissimum tempus,

id. 5, 6, 7:

detrimentum,

Quint. 11, 1, 10:

arbitrium mortis,

Tac. A. 15, 60:

breves populi Romani amores,

id. ib. 2, 41:

tempus,

Suet. Ner. 20 al.:

nobis quom semel occidit brevis lux, nox est perpetua una dormienda,

Cat. 5, 5:

fructus,

Lucr. 3, 914:

aevum,

Hor. C. 2, 16, 17; id. S. 2, 6, 97; id. Ep. 2, 1, 144; Plin. Pan. 78, 2:

anni,

Hor. C. 4, 13, 22:

ver,

Ov. M. 1, 118; 10, 85:

flores rosae,

quickly withering, short-lived, Hor. C. 2, 3, 13:

lilium,

id. ib. 1, 36, 16:

cena,

frugal, id. Ep. 1, 14, 35:

mensa,

id. A. P. 198:

dominus,

living but a short time, id. C. 2, 14, 24:

stultitia,

id. ib. 4, 12, 27:

ira furor brevis est,

id. Ep. 1, 2, 62:

actio brevis atque concisa,

Quint. 6, 4, 2:

somnus,

Sen. Troad. 441:

nec gratius quicquam decore nec brevius,

nothing is more acceptable, but nothing more perishable, fading, than beauty, Suet. Dom. 18:

domus,

Sen. Hippol. 762:

fortuna,

Sil. 4, 734.—

Esp.

Comp. brevius, with subj. clause, shorter, i.e. easier, more convenient:

brevius visum urbana crimina incipi, quorum obvii testes erant,

Tac. A. 13, 43: modo ne existimes brevius esse ab urbe mitti, Trag. ap. Plin. Ep. 10, 40 (49), 3.—

In brevi spatio, brevi spatio, in brevi tempore, brevi tempore, and absol. brevi or in brevi, in a short time, shortly (before or after) (brevi tempore and brevi are class.; the latter, as in Gr. en brachei, to be considered as neuter, without supplying tempore):

inque brevi spatio mutantur saecla animantum,

Lucr. 2, 77; so Ter. Heaut. 5, 2, 2; Suet. Claud. 12; id. Ner. 30; cf.:

in multo breviore temporis spatio,

id. Aug. 22:

multa brevi spatio simulacra geruntur,

Lucr. 4, 160; Sall. J. 87, 3:

spatio brevi,

Hor. C. 1, 11, 6:

res publica per vos brevi tempore jus suum recuperabit,

Cic. Fam. 12, 2, 3; 5, 21, 2; id. Tusc. 2, 2, 5; Caes. B. G. 1, 40, 11; Nep. Milt. 2, 1; id. Them. 1, 4; Suet. Caes. 3:

sic ille affectus, brevi postea est mortuus,

soon after, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 54, § 142 (Zumpt;

acc. to MSS. perbrevi).—So brevi post = paulo post: brevi post Marcellus Romam venit,

Liv. 33, 37, 9; 24, 3, 14:

brevi deinde,

id. 24, 4, 9: (Britanni) tantum usu cotidiano et exercitatione efficiunt, uti in declivi ac praecipiti loco incitatos equos sustinere et brevi ( in a short time, i.e. with great rapidity) moderari ac flectere consuerint, Caes. B. G. 4, 33 fin. Herz. and Held.:

fama tanti facinoris per omnem Africam brevi divolgatur,

Sall. J. 13, 1; Nep. Them. 4, 4:

mirantur tam brevi rem Romanam crevisse,

Liv. 1, 9, 9:

brevi omnia subegit,

Suet. Caes. 34; so id. Aug. 17; 65; id. Vesp. 5; id. Gram. 3; Gell. 1, 15, 18: scire in brevi, Afran. ap. Charis. p. 186 P.; Flor. 1, 1, 15.—

Brevi, a short time, a little while: [p. 251] cunctatusque brevi, contortam viribus hastam in Persea misit, Ov. M. 5, 32; cf.:

illa brevi spatio silet,

id. ib. 7, 307; so,

* breve,

Cat. 61, 187.—

Ad breve, for a short time, Suet. Tib. 68; cf.:

ad breve quoddam tempus,

Cic. Cat. 1, 13, 31.—

Transf. to things done or taking place in a short time; so most freq.

Of discourse, short, brief, concise (most freq. in Cic. and Quint.):

narratio,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 28; id. de Or. 3, 50, 196: laudatio;

comprehensio et ambitus ille verborum erat apud illum contractus et brevis,

id. Brut. 44, 162; cf. id. de Or. 2, 80, 326:

nunc venio ad illa tua brevia: et primum illud, quo nihil potest esse brevius: bonum omne laudabile, etc.,

id. Fin. 4, 18, 48:

quam falsa re! quam brevia responsu!

id. Clu. 59, 164: urbanitas est virtus quaedam in breve dictum coacta, Dom. Mars. ap. Quint. 6, 3, 104:

Homerus brevem eloquentiam Menelao dedit,

Quint. 12, 10, 64 (brevis = ou polumuthos, Hom. Il. 3, 214):

breviores commentarii,

Quint. 3, 8, 58:

annotatio,

id. 10, 7, 31:

brevia illa atque concisa,

id. 10, 7, 10; so,

sententiae,

id. 10, 1, 60:

causae,

id. 6, 1, 8:

docendi compendia,

id. 1, 1, 24:

comprehensiones,

id. 12, 2, 19:

quod ut brevissimo pateat exemplo,

id. 3, 6, 10: commendatio, requiring few words, i.e. moderate, Plin. 11, 42, 97, § 240.— Meton. of a speaker or orator, brief:

multos imitatio brevitatis decipit, ut cum se breves putent esse, longissimi sint,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 38:

brevior in scribendo,

id. Att. 5, 6, 2:

brevis esse laboro, Obscurus fio,

Hor. A. P. 25:

in eloquendo brevis,

Quint. 10, 1, 63:

densus et brevis et semper instans sibi Thucydides,

id. 10, 1, 73.—Hence, brĕvī, adv., briefly, in few words (freq. and class.):

brevi pro breviter M. Tullius de Orat. ad Quintum fratrem (1, 8, 34): ac ne plura quidem quae sunt innumerabilia consecter, comprehendam brevi,

Charis. p. 176 P.:

id percurram brevi,

Cic. Caecin. 32, 94:

aliquid explicare,

id. Planc. 40, 95 Wund.:

circumscribere et definire,

id. Sest. 45, 97; so id. ib. 5, 12 Orell. N. cr.; id. Fin. 1, 17, 55:

complecti,

id. de Or. 1, 42, 190:

exponere,

id. ib. 1, 46, 203:

reprehendere,

id. Inv. 1, 9, 12:

reddere,

id. Leg. 2, 14, 34:

respondere,

id. Fam. 3, 8, 1:

perscribere,

id. ib. 4, 5, 1; so Auct. Her. 4, 26, 35; 35, 47 al.; cf.:

in brevi,

Quint. 9, 4, 32.—So once in epistolary style: breve facere, to be short or brief:

quid scribam? breve faciam,

Cic. Att. 11, 7, 6; cf.:

longum est ea dicere, sed hoc breve dicam,

id. Sest. 5, 12.—Once, in breve cogere (diff. from I. A.), to comprise in few words, bring into a small compass:

in breve coactae causae,

Liv. 39, 47, 5; cf.:

in breve coactio causae,

Gai. Inst. 4, 15.— In late Lat. subst.: brĕvis, is, m. (sc. liber—acc. to another reading, brĕve, is, n.), a short catalogue, summary, = breviarium:

brevis nominum,

Vop. Aur. 36; so id. Bonos. 15; Lampr. Alex. Sev. 21; Hier. Ep. 5, n. 2 al.—

Of a short syllable;

rarely as adj.: Syllaba longa brevi subjecta vocatur iambus,

Hor. A. P. 251:

a brevis, gre brevis, faciet tamen longam priorem,

Quint. 9, 4, 86 et saep.—More freq. subst.: brĕvis, is, f. (sc. syllaba):

dactylus, qui est e longā et duabus brevibus,

Cic. Or. 64, 217 sq.:

in fine pro longā accipi brevem,

Quint. 9, 4, 93; 9, 4, 86:

plurimum habent celeritatis breves,

id. 9, 4, 91.—

Hence also once of a syllable long by position, but pronounced short: indoctus dicimus brevi primā litterā, insanus productā: inhumanus brevi, infelix longā,

Cic. Or. 48, 159 Meyer N. cr.; cf. Gell. 2, 17 sqq., and Schütz Lex. Cic. s. v. brevis.—

For parvus, exiguus, little, small:

exigua pars brevisque,

Lucr. 5, 591:

Canidia brevibus implicata viperis,

Hor. Epod. 5, 15:

Alecto brevibus torquata colubris,

Ov. H. 2, 119:

brevi latere ac pede longo est,

Hor. S. 1, 2, 93; cf.

just before: breve quod caput, ardua cervix, v. 89, and brevis alvus,

Verg. G. 3, 80 (on the other hand, Nemes. 244:

parvae alvi): mus,

Ov. F. 2, 574:

forma (sc. pueri in stellionem mutati),

id. M. 5, 457.—

So, lapathi herba,

Hor. S. 2, 4, 29 (brevis = parva, non excrescens in altum, Schol. Cruqu.):

folia breviora,

id. Ep. 1, 19, 26 (minor corona, Schol. Cruqu.):

census,

id. C. 2, 15, 13:

pondus,

id. S. 2, 2, 37:

impensa,

Ov. H. 7, 188 Ruhnk.:

sigillum,

id. M. 6, 86:

insulae,

Pall. 1, 28, 1; cf. Juv. 1, 73: vasculum, Pall. Apr. 8, 4:

offulae,

id. 1, 29, 4:

pantheris in candido breves macularum oculi,

Plin. 8, 17, 23, § 62.—With nom. abstr.:

breve in exiguo marmore nomen ero,

Prop. 2, 1, 72; Sen. Oedip. 935.—So, pondus, Hor. S. 2, 2, 37 al.—Hence, brĕ-vĭter, adv., shortly, briefly, etc.

Of space (acc. to I.) (rare): seu libeat, curvo brevius convertere gyro, shorter, i. e. in a smaller circle, Tib. 4, 1, 94:

parvo brevius quam totus,

a little less than the whole, Plin. 2, 67, 67, § 168:

Sarmatae, omisso arcu, quo brevius valent, contis gladiisque ruerent,

Tac. A. 6, 35.—Far more freq. in prose and poetry,

(Acc. to II. A. b. and c.) Of time, in a short time.

In gen.:

iratum breviter vites, inimicum diu, Publ. Syr. v. 249 Rib.: sapiens, cum breviter et strictim colore atque vultu motus est,

Gell. 19, 1, 20.—

Esp.

In expression, briefly, in brief, in few words, concisely, summarily:

sed breviter paucis praestat comprendere multa,

Lucr. 6, 1082: multa breviter et commode dicta (sc. apophthegmata; cf. Cic. Off. 1, 29, 104) memoriae mandabam, Cic. Lael. 1, 1:

rem totam breviter cognoscite,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 69, § 169; 2, 3, 27, § 67; so id. de Or. 2, 83, 340:

summatim breviterque describere,

id. Or. 15, 50:

breviter tangere,

id. Off. 3, 2, 8 Beier N. cr.:

breviter et modice disserere,

Sall. J. 111, 1:

adicere aliquid,

Quint. 9, 3, 100; cf. also Verg. A. 2, 11; 4, 632; 6, 321; Ov. M. 2, 783:

omnia soli Forsan Pacuvio breviter dabit (i.e. paucis testamenti verbis, quibus heres ex asse scribetur),

Juv. 12, 125 Web. (cf. id. 1, 68: beatum exiguis tabulis).— Comp., Cic. Fin. 4, 10, 26; Quint. 8, prooem. § 1; 8, 6, 61; 9, 2, 16; 10, 1, 49; 11, 1, 5 al.— Sup., Cic. N. D. 2, 1, 3; id. Div. 1, 32, 70; Quint. 1, 10, 1; 4, 2, 113 al.—

Of syllables:

quibus in verbis eae primae litterae sunt quae in sapiente atque felice, producte dicitur, in ceteris omnibus breviter,

Cic. Or. 48, 159.

mōmentum, i, n. [for movimentum, from moveo], a movement, motion (as an indwelling force; cf.: motio, motus; class.).

Lit.:

astra forma ipsa figuraque sua momenta sustentant,

Cic. N. D. 2, 46, 117:

pisces levi caudae in utrumque momento velocitatem suam flectunt,

Sen. Ep. 90, 24:

utque leves tactus momentaque parva sequantur,

Ov. M. 4, 180.—

Transf.

An alteration, change, disturbance, movement, revolution:

cetera populi Romani vectigalia, perlevi saepe momento fortunae, inclinatione temporis pendere,

Cic. Agr. 2, 29, 80:

nullum momentum annonae facere,

to effect no alteration in the price of corn, Liv. 4, 12:

animi,

id. 39, 5:

provincias magnis momentis concusserat,

Vell. 2, 78, 1:

sine momento rerum, partisque ruinā cadere,

Luc. 7, 118.—

A particle sufficient to turn the scales:

momentum staterae,

Vulg. Isa. 40, 15; id. Sap. 11, 23; hence, a particle, a part, a point:

myrrhae momentum,

Plin. 30, 10, 27, § 87:

quibus (regnis) pro ignobili momento erat accessura Macedonia,

a make-weight, Just. 7, 3, 1:

sol cotidie ex alio caeli momento, quam pridie, oritur,

a point, part, Plin. 18, 34, 77, § 333:

corpus orationis in parva momenta diducendo consumere,

Quint. 3, 11, 23; to lose the main subject in minute divisions:

ordo rerum tribus momentis consertus est,

id. 5, 10, 71:

officiorum,

parts, Cic. Mur. 2, 3. —

In partic.

Of time, a short time, brief space, moment (syn. punctum):

parvis momentis multa natura affingit,

instants, moments, Cic. Div. 1, 52, 118:

momentis certis dimensis,

at certain fixed times, Plin. Ep. 4, 30, 3:

non cunctandum ratus Hannibal, totis viribus adgressus urbem momento cepit,

Liv. 21, 14, 3:

momento temporis,

in a moment, id. 21, 33; 35, 11, 13:

momento horae,

in quick lapse of time, Hor. S. 1, 1, 7; cf.:

momento unius horae,

Curt. 9, 6, 21:

horae momento,

Liv. 5, 7, 3; 9, 16:

Maecenati triennio supremo nullo horae momento contigit somnus,

could not sleep a single hour, Plin. 7, 51, 52, § 172:

brevi horarum momento,

in a few hours, Just. 2, 14, 9:

ut momentum horae pereat,

that a short hour be lost, Phaedr. 3 prol. 5:

momento fit cinis diu silva,

in a moment, Sen. Q. N. 3, 27, 3:

in momento, in ictu oculi,

Vulg. 1 Cor. 15, 52:

in momento indignationis,

id. Isa. 54, 8:

pruna stomacho non utilissima, sed brevi momento,

are hurtful, but only for a short time, Plin. 23, 7, 66, § 132:

quantum quoquo momento temporis adiciatur,

Gai. Inst. 2, 70:

hoc fit dicis gratia uno momento,

id. ib. 1, 141.—

Transf., of space, distance, a little way:

parvo momento antecedere,

Caes. B. C. 2, 6:

visūs nostri tarditas non subsequitur momenta currentis (sc. stellae), sed videt simul et unde exsilierit et quo pervenerit,

does not trace the successive points of its course, but sees the whole at once, Sen. Q. N. 1, 14, 4.—

Trop., a cause, a circumstance; weight, influence, importance, moment:

minimis momentis maximae inclinationes temporum fiunt,

from the slightest causes spring the greatest changes, Cic. Phil. 5, 10, 26:

momenta omnia observare,

all the circumstances, id. Fam. 6, 10, 5:

unamquamque rem momento suo ponderare,

according to its importance, id. Font. 6, 21; cf.:

ut omnia verborum momentis, non rerum ponderibus examinet,

id. Rep. 3, 8, 12:

ita parvae res magnum in utramque partem momentum habuerunt,

influence, Caes. B. C. 3, 70:

quorum adventus hoc tamen momenti fecit, ut Scipio abscederet inde, etc.,

Liv. 29, 35:

nullum momentum in dando adimendoque regno habere,

no decisive influence, id. 1, 47, 6:

momenti aliquid apud Magnetas ad repetendam societatem Romanam facere,

id. 35, 39, 3:

cave quidquam habeat momenti gratia,

weight, influence, Cic. Mur. 30, 62:

magno ad persuadendum momento esse,

id. Inv. 2, 26, 77:

potentia,

motives, Ov. M. 11, 285:

Leonis (sideris),

influence, Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 16:

praebe nostrae momenta saluti,

promote, Ov. P. 4, 13, 49:

erant octo cohortes... tum discordiā temporum a legione digressae, prout inclinassent, grande momentum sociae aut adversae,

Tac. H. 1, 59:

levi momento aestimare aliquid,

to consider of little moment, to prize lightly, Caes. B. G. 7, 39:

nullius momenti aliquid putare,

of no moment, unimportant, Cic. Vatin. 1, 1: nullius momenti apud exercitum futurum, Nep. Alcib. 8, 4:

quod (oppidum) per se parvum magni momenti locum obtinuit,

Tac. H. 3, 8:

id est maximi momenti et ponderis,

of the greatest moment, Cic. Vatin. 4, 19:

exponunt, se tentāsse etiam haud magni momenti finitimarum gentium auxilia,

Liv. 10, 16, 5:

sed in bello nihil tam leve est, quod non magnae interdum rei momentum faciat,

id. 25, 18, 3; 28, 17, 10; 27, 45, 5:

inpensam in rem maximi ad omnia momenti facere,

id. 43, 23, 8:

nullā in re nisi in virtute propensionem ne minimi quidem momenti esse ad, etc.,

Cic. Fin. 4, 17, 47:

omnino nihil habere momenti,

id. ib. 2, 12, 38.