From Latin breviārium 'abridgment,' from brevis 'short,' narrowed to mean the condensed Catholic prayer book.
A book containing the daily prayers and readings prescribed for the canonical hours of the Roman Catholic Church.
From Latin breviārium 'summary, abridgment,' from brevis 'short.' Originally referred to any summary or digest, then narrowed to the condensed prayer book that replaced bulky sets of liturgical volumes. Pope Pius V standardized the Roman Breviary in 1568. Key roots: *mréǵʰu- (Proto-Indo-European: "short, brief").