breu

Breu is a Catalan adjective meaning "brief" or "short." It describes something limited in duration, extent, or detail and is widely used in everyday speech and writing. Examples include un text breu ("a brief text") and un informe breu ("a short report"). The adjective agrees with the noun in gender and number, and there is an adverbial form breument meaning “briefly” or “shortly,” as in parlar breument (to speak briefly).

Etymology and cognates: Breu originates from the Latin brevis, meaning short. It shares common roots with related Romance-language words such as French bref, Spanish breve, Italian breve, and Portuguese breve. The connection to the broader family of brevity terms is evident across these languages, reflecting a common concern with concision and succinctness.

Usage and context: In Catalan, breu is a standard descriptor in both informal and formal contexts. It is often used to indicate that something is concise, not lengthy, or lacking in unnecessary detail. The term can appear in journalism, academic writing, and everyday conversation when brevity is desirable.

Overview: Breu highlights the concept of concision in Catalan, linking to a shared Romance-language lineage. Its usage covers time, length, and detail, with breument as the typical adverbial form to describe doing something in a brief manner.