Bref

Bref is a French word with multiple, distinct uses. As an adjective, it means short or concise, as in un récit bref (a short story) or une explication brève. As an adverb and discourse marker, bref can introduce a summing-up clause, roughly equivalent to “in short” or “to cut a long story short,” as in Bref, il est parti. The term is commonly used in spoken and written French to indicate a concise conclusion or transition.

Etymology and usage in French. Bref derives from Latin brevis, meaning short, and entered Old French before evolving into the modern form. In contemporary French, bref functions both to describe brevity itself and to signal a concise summary in narrative or argumentative prose. It is typically used informally, though it appears in various registers when a speaker intends to tighten a discussion or quickly recap.

BREF in the European Union context. In English-language contexts, BREF is an acronym for Best Available Techniques Reference Document. It is part of the EU’s industrial emissions framework, established under the IPPC directive and its successor, the Industrial Emissions Directive. BREF documents are sector-specific references that describe best available techniques and the related emission levels or emission limit values used by authorities to regulate facilities. They cover a range of industrial sectors, such as large combustion plants, cement, lime, iron and steel, non-ferrous metals, waste treatment and incineration, among others. BREFs are periodically reviewed to reflect technological progress and evolving regulatory standards, and they play a central role in setting BAT-based requirements for permit conditions across the EU.