Noun

(-)

The quality or state of being prudent; wisdom in the way of caution and provision; discretion; carefulness; hence, also, economy; frugality.

* 1876 , , Prose Quotations from Socrates to Macaulay , J.B. Lippincott, page 597,

Prudence is principally in reference to actions to be done, and due means, order, seasons, and method of doing or not doing. - .

Prudence supposes the value of the end to be assumed, and refers only to the adaptation of the means. It is the relation of right means for given ends. - .

Noun

(uncountable) The quality of being brief in duration.

* {{quote-book, year=2005

, author=Bill Bryson , title=A short history of nearly everything , passage= Thanks to Global Positioning Systems we can see that Europe and North America are parting at about the speed a fingernail grows—roughly two yards in a human lifetime. If you were prepared to wait long enough, you could ride from Los Angeles all the way up to San Francisco. It is only the brevity of lifetimes that keeps us from appreciating the changes.}}

(uncountable) Succinctness; conciseness.

* {{quote-book, year=1966

, author=Jackson E. Morris , title=Principles of scientific and technical writing , passage=A good technical writing style will now be defined as a style possessing clarity, brevity , and variety.}}

(rare, countable) A short piece of writing.