Brief

From Middle High German brief, from Old High German briaf, which is borrowed from Latin breve, a neuter form of brevis (“short”). Cognates include Middle Dutch brief, Dutch brief, Old Norse bréf, Old Saxon brēf (all of them borrowed from Latin)^[1][2] and English brief.

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʁiːf/

• Audio (Germany):

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• Audio (Austria):

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• Rhymes: -iːf

Brief m (strong, genitive Briefes or Briefs, plural Briefe, diminutive Briefchen n)

1. letter (written message)

• Brief on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de

• “Brief” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Brief” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Brief” in Duden online
• Brief on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de
• Friedrich Kluge (1883) “Brief”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891

• IPA^(key): /priːf/

Brief m (plural Brief, diminutive Briefche)

1. letter (written message)

   Sie hod en Brief fun eere Schwesder kried.

   She received a letter from her sister.

• Piter Kehoma Boll (2021) “Brief”, in Dicionário Hunsriqueano Riograndense–Português (in Portuguese), 3rd edition, Ivoti: Riograndenser Hunsrickisch, page 28

Compare German Brief, Dutch brief, English brief.

Brief m (plural Brief)

1. letter (written message)
2. package