Brief

See also: brief

German

Etymology

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

Pronunciation
  • audio (Austria)(file)
  • IPA(key): /ˈbʁiːf/
  • Audio(file)
  • Rhymes: -iːf

Noun

Brief m (genitive Briefs or Briefes, plural Briefe)

  1. letter (written message)

Declension
Declension of Brief
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein der Brief die Briefe
genitive eines des Briefes,
Briefs		 der Briefe
dative einem dem Brief,
Briefe1		 den Briefen
accusative einen den Brief die Briefe
1Now uncommon, see notes

Hyponyms

Derived terms

References
  1. Kluge, Friedrich (1989), “Brief”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological dictionary of the German language] (in German), 22nd edition, →ISBN
  2. brief; in: J. de Vries & F. de Tollenaere, "Etymologisch Woordenboek", Uitgeverij Het Spectrum, Utrecht, 1986 (14de druk)

Further reading

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

Compare German Brief, Dutch brief, English brief.

Noun

Brief m (plural Brief)

  1. letter (written message)
  2. package
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.