Dictionary
Thesaurus
Medical
Scrabble®
Spanish Central
Browse DictionaryBrowse Thesaurus
Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android
Games
Word of the Day
Video
Blog: Words at Play
My Faves
Dictionary

breve

noun \ˈbrēv, ˈbrev\

Definition of BREVE

1
:  a note equivalent to two whole notes
2
:  a curved mark ˘ used to indicate a short vowel or a short or unstressed syllable
See breve defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT

Origin of BREVE

Middle English brefe, from Medieval Latin, from neuter of brevis brief — more at brief
First Known Use: 15th century

Rhymes with BREVE

cleave, eave, eve, Eve, greave, grieve, heave, leave, lief, peeve, reave, reeve, reive, scrieve, sheave, sleeve, steeve, thieve, weave
BREVE Defined for Kids

breve

noun \ˈbrēv, ˈbrev\

Definition of BREVE for Kids

:  a mark ˘ placed over a vowel to show that the vowel is short

Learn More About BREVE

Browse

3 ENTRIES FOUND:
  1. breve
  2. breve rest
  3. alla breve
Next Word in the Dictionary: breve restPrevious Word in the Dictionary: brevAll Words Near: breve
ADVERTISEMENT
10 Charming Words for Nasty People
Put-downs with flair
Learn More
When "Literally" isn't, well, literal
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Watch Now
Know what this is?
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Go Play
Fear of cats?
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears
Learn More
Join Us
Merriam-Webster
on Facebook
Merriam-Webster
on Twitter
Bookstore: Digital and Print
Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.
See All
Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries