breve: Meaning and Definition of

breve

Pronunciation: (brēv, brev), [key]
— n.
  1. a mark (˘) over a vowel to show that it is short, or to indicate a specific pronunciation, as ŭ in (kŭt) cut.
    1. an initial writ.
    2. a writ, as one issued by a court of law.
    1. the longest modern note, equivalent to two semibreves or whole notes. See illus. undernote.
    2. Also,brevis.a note in medieval mensural notation equal to one-half or one-third of a longa.
  2. a mark (˘) over a syllable to show that it is not stressed.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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