{ } n. [ OE. brere, brer, AS. brēr, brær; cf. Ir. briar prickle, thorn, brier, pin, Gael. preas bush, brier, W. prys, prysg. ] 1. A plant with a slender woody stem bearing stout prickles; especially, species of Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fig.: Anything sharp or unpleasant to the feelings. [ 1913 Webster ]

The thorns and briers of reproof. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

Brier root, the root of the southern Smilax laurifolia and Smilax Walteri; -- used for tobacco pipes. See also 2nd brier. --
Cat brier,
Green brier, several species of Smilax (Smilax rotundifolia, etc.) --
Sweet brier (Rosa rubiginosa). See Sweetbrier. --
Yellow brier, the Rosa Eglantina. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. same as Brie cheese.
[ PJC ]

A kind of soft French cream cheese; -- so called from the district in France where it is made; it is milder than Camembert; -- called also fromage de Brie, Brie and brie (uncapitalized). [ Webster 1913 Suppl. + WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ OE. bref, F. brief, bref, fr. L. brevis; akin to Gr. brachy`s short, and perh. to Skr. barh to tear. Cf. Breve. ] 1. Short in duration. [ 1913 Webster ]

How brief the life of man. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Concise; terse; succinct. [ 1913 Webster ]

The brief style is that which expresseth much in little. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Rife; common; prevalent. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

In brief. See under Brief, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Short; concise; succinct; summary; compendious; condensed; terse; curt; transitory; short-lived. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. Briefly. [ Obs. or Poetic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Adam, faltering long, thus answered brief. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Soon; quickly. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Brief, a., and cf. Breve. ] 1. A short concise writing or letter; a statement in few words. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bear this sealed brief,
With winged hastle, to the lord marshal. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

And she told me
In a sweet, verbal brief. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An epitome. [ 1913 Webster ]

Each woman is a brief of womankind. Overbury. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

It was not without some reference to it that I perused many a brief. Sir J. Stephen. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In England, the brief is prepared by the attorney; in the United States, counsel generally make up their own briefs. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) A writ; a breve. See Breve, n., 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A letter patent, from proper authority, authorizing a collection or charitable contribution of money in churches, for any public or private purpose. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

7. pl. a type of men's underpants without legs, fitting tightly and held by an elastic waistband; also called Jockey shorts. [ PJC ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To make an abstract or abridgment of; to shorten; as, to brief pleadings. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a small suitcase with a handle; it is used for carrying papers or files or books. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. giving detailed instructions, as for a military operation. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. a detailed set of instructions before an operation, given to those who are to execute it. [ PJC ]

3. a summary report of an operation or event after it has occurred, by a participant or observer. [ PJC ]

a. Having no brief; without clients; as, a briefless barrister. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Concisely; in few words. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who makes a brief. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A copier of a manuscript. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being brief; brevity; conciseness in discourse or writing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. the white heath Erica arborea. RHUD. [ PJC ]

2. a smoking pipe made of the root of the brier{ 1 }. Brierroot seems to have been used formerly as a term meaning root of the Smilax laurifolia and is now defined as root of the Erica arborea. Not clear when this changed. -- PJC. [ PJC ]

a. Set with briers. Chatterton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. wood from the hard woody root of the briar Erica arborea; it is used to make tobacco pipes. See also 2nd brier and brier root.
Syn. -- briarwood. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Full of briers; thorny. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A place where briers grow. Huloet. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Bot.) A species of Smilax (Smilax Pseudo-China) growing from New Jersey to the Gulf of Mexico, which has very large tuberous and farinaceous rootstocks, formerly used by the Indians for a sort of bread, and by the negroes as an ingredient in making beer; -- called also bamboo brier and China brier. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a very prickly woody vine of eastern U.S. (Smilax rotundifolia) growing in tangled masses, having tough round stems with shiny leathery leaves and small greenish flowers followed by clusters of inedible shiny black berries.
Syn. -- bullbrier, greenbrier, horsebrier, brier, briar, Smilax rotundifolia. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. to interrogate (a person who has recently experienced an event), to obtain information about that experience; -- used especially of military pilots or diplomatic agents who have just returned from a mission. [ PJC ]

n. (Bot.) The dog-rose. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Ebrieties [ L. ebrietas, from. ebrius intoxicated: cf. F. ébriéte. Cf. So&unr_;er. ] Drunkenness; intoxication by spirituous liquors; inebriety. “Ruinous ebriety.” Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a very prickly woody vine (Smilax rotundifolia) of eastern U. S. growing in tangled masses having tough round stems with shiny leathery leaves and small greenish flowers followed by clusters of inedible shiny black berries.
Syn. -- bullbrier, greenbrier, catbrier, brier, briar, Smilax rotundifolia. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ See Inebriate, Ebriety. ] Drunkenness; inebriation. E. Darwin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. in- not + &unr_;obriety: cf. F. insobriété. ] Lack of sobriety, moderation, or calmness; intemperance; drunkenness. [ 1913 Webster ]

Same as Sea letter. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Mus.) A semibreve. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. sobrietas: cf. F. sobriété. See Sober. ] 1. Habitual soberness or temperance as to the use of spirituous liquors; as, a man of sobriety. [ 1913 Webster ]

Public sobriety is a relative duty. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Habitual freedom from enthusiasm, inordinate passion, or overheated imagination; calmness; coolness; gravity; seriousness; as, the sobriety of riper years. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mirth makes them not mad,
Nor sobriety sad. Denham. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Soberness; temperance; abstinence; abstemiousness; moderation; regularity; steadness; calmness; coolness; sober-mindeness; sedateness; staidness; gravity; seriousness; solemnity. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A kind of rose (Rosa rubiginosa) with minutely glandular and fragrant foliage. The small-flowered sweetbrier is Rosa micrantha. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The pollack. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ F. ombre a shade, L. umbra; cf. F. ombrelle a sunshade, OF. also ombrière. See Umbrella. ] In ancient armor, a visor, or projection like the peak of a cap, to which a face guard was sometimes attached. This was sometimes fixed, and sometimes moved freely upon the helmet and could be raised like the beaver. Called also umber, and umbril. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

But only vented up her umbriere. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]