A breve is a curved mark (˘) that appears above certain letters, showing that the vowel underneath should be pronounced with a short sound. In English, when you see the breve over a vowel like in “brĕve” itself, it tells you to say a quick, crisp sound rather than drawing it out.

You might encounter breves in dictionaries, where they help show pronunciation. For example, the “a” in “cat” has a short sound (ă), while the “a” in “cake” has a long sound. The breve signals that first, snappy pronunciation.

In music, a breve is also a note that lasts a particularly long time, equal to two whole notes. When this note was invented centuries ago, it was actually the shortest note musicians used. As composers developed even shorter notes over time, the breve became one of the longest notes instead. You'll rarely see breves in modern music, but they appear in very old compositions and in some church music, where their long, sustained sound can create a solemn atmosphere.