Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - brevity

The brevity of something is the fact that it is short or lasts for only a short time. (FORMAL) The bonus of this homely soup is the brevity of its cooking time. N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n BREW (brews, brewing, brewed) 1. If you brew tea or coffee, you make it by pouring hot water over tea leaves or ground coffee. I’ll get Venner to brew some tea... VERB: V n 2. A brew is a particular kind of tea or coffee. It can also be a particular pot of tea or coffee. ...a mild herbal brew. N-COUNT: usu with supp 3. If a person or company brews beer, they make it. I brew my own beer... VERB: V n • brewing ...the brewing of home-made alcohol. N-UNCOUNT 4. If a storm is brewing, large clouds are beginning to form and the sky is becoming dark because there is going to be a storm. We’d seen the storm brewing when we were out in the boat. VERB: usu cont, V 5. If an unpleasant or difficult situation is brewing, it is starting to develop. At home a crisis was brewing... There’s trouble brewing. VERB: usu cont, V, V 6. A brew of several things is a mixture of those things. Most cities generate a complex brew of pollutants. ...a potent brew of smooth salesmanship and amateur psychiatry. N-COUNT: usu sing, N of n