breve
Portuguese, noun
breve is spelled B-R-E-V-E (5 letters) and appears 76 times per million words in written Portuguese, the 1,277th most frequent Portuguese word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Breve is a Portuguese feminine noun meaning “a double whole note (US) or breve (UK)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With an accent, brevê is a different word: “a pilot licence”. The Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) defines it as “escrito pontifício sem interesse geral para a Igreja”.
What does breve mean in English?
adjective
- 1
femininemasculinebrief, short
- 2
femininemasculinesummarized
- 3
femininemasculineminute (very small)
noun
- 1
femininea double whole note (US) or breve (UK)
- 2
femininea syllable or vowel that is quickly pronounced
noun
- 1
masculinea Papal brief
noun
- 1
masculinea pilot licence
Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Portuguese dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. que dura pouco 2. de pequena extensão 3. próximo
adverb: 1. brevemente
noun: 1. escrito pontifício sem interesse geral para a Igreja
noun: 1. vogal ou sílaba que se pronuncia com rapidez 2. figura musical que vale duas semibreves
noun: 1. licença para pilotar aviões
The definition in the Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), in Portuguese.
Source: Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of breve
- breves plural
- brevês plural
- brevete alternative
Source: English Wiktionary and Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to breve
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is breve in Portuguese?
breve appears 76 times per million words in written Portuguese.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).