Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Brief \Brief\, a. [OE. bref, F. brief, bref, fr. L. brevis; akin
   to Gr. ? short, and perh. to Skr. barh to tear. Cf. {Breve}.]
   1. Short in duration.

            How brief the life of man.            --Shak.

   2. Concise; terse; succinct.

            The brief style is that which expresseth much in
            little.                               --B. Jonson.

   3. Rife; common; prevalent. [Prov. Eng.]

   {In brief}. See under {Brief}, n.

   Syn: Short; concise; succinct; summary; compendious;
        condensed; terse; curt; transitory; short-lived.

Brief \Brief\ (br[=e]f), n. [See {Brief}, a., and cf. {Breve}.]
   1. A short concise writing or letter; a statement in few
      words.

            Bear this sealed brief, With winged hastle, to the
            lord marshal.                         --Shak.

            And she told me In a sweet, verbal brief. --Shak.

   2. An epitome.

            Each woman is a brief of womankind.   --Overbury.

   3. (Law) An abridgment or concise statement of a client's
      case, made out for the instruction of counsel in a trial
      at law. This word is applied also to a statement of the
      heads or points of a law argument.

            It was not without some reference to it that I
            perused many a brief.                 --Sir J.
                                                  Stephen.

   Note: In England, the brief is prepared by the attorney; in
         the United States, counsel generally make up their own
         briefs.

   4. (Law) A writ; a breve. See {Breve}, n., 2.

   5. (Scots Law) A writ issuing from the chancery, directed to
      any judge ordinary, commanding and authorizing that judge
      to call a jury to inquire into the case, and upon their
      verdict to pronounce sentence.

   6. A letter patent, from proper authority, authorizing a
      collection or charitable contribution of money in
      churches, for any public or private purpose. [Eng.]

   {Apostolical brief}, a letter of the pope written on fine
      parchment in modern characters, subscribed by the
      secretary of briefs, dated ``a die Nativitatis,'' i. e.,
      ``from the day of the Nativity,'' and sealed with the ring
      of the fisherman. It differs from a bull, in its
      parchment, written character, date, and seal. See {Bull}.
      

   {Brief of title}, an abstract or abridgment of all the deeds
      and other papers constituting the chain of title to any
      real estate.

   {In brief}, in a few words; in short; briefly. ``Open the
      matter in brief.'' --Shak.

Source : WordNet®

in brief
     adv : in a concise manner; in a few words; "the history is summed
           up concisely in this book"; "she replied briefly";
           "briefly, we have a problem"; "to put it shortly" [syn:
            {concisely}, {briefly}, {shortly}, {in short}]