Briefing
/ˈbriːfɪŋ/noun
A short, usually official explanation or summary of information.
Did you know?Although it sounds modern and bureaucratic, briefing is built from the same Latin root as *brevity*, *abbreviate*, and *abridge*—all tracing back to the ancient idea of something being physically or verbally “short.”
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
brevis
“short, brief”
Late Latin
Latin
breviāre
“to shorten”
Middle English
English
brief
“short in duration or concise in speech”
17th Century
English
brief
“a concise statement or summary”
20th Century
English
briefing
“the act of giving a concise statement or instructions”