Debriefing: A Brief History in the Case ...
I have been seeing a great deal of use of the word "debrief" recently, which would usually give me great cause to rejoice -- except that it being used to describe the initial information given.
The Online Etymology Dictionary gives us two:
brief (n.)
from L. breve (gen. brevis), noun derivative of L. adj. brevis (see brief (adj.)) which came to mean "letter, summary" (specifically a letter of the pope, less ample and solemn than a bull), and came to mean "letter of authority," which yielded the modern, legal sense of "summary of the facts of a case" (1630s). The verb meaning "to give instructions or information to" (1866) was originally "to instruct by a brief" (1862); hence briefing, first attested 1910 but popularized by WWII pre-flight conferences.
debrief
"obtain information (from someone) at the end of a mission," 1945, from de- + brief (v.).
-- and, of course, the portmanteau word to carry them along:
briefcase
"portable folding case for holding papers," 1926, from brief in the paper sense + case.
So it would go like this:
A problem would be discovered that needs a solution. Information would be gathered on the background, the elements involved, the environment, whatever else would apply.
A wise person would compile all this information into a clear summary.
This summary, or brief, would be presented to the agent or agent charged with carrying out a mission to solve the problem in a briefing.
The agent or agents would gather the tools needed for the mission, based on their own knowledge and on recommendations delivered along with the brief. They would personally ensure, to the best of their ability and provisions, the soundness of those tools.
The mission would go forward. If possible, the agent or agents would return, or would otherwise send back information.
Upon return and upon ability (allowing for medical care), the agent or agents would report on the details of the mission to the appropriate personnel. This verbal report, together with the clarifying questions, is a debriefing.
Or, in more understandable terms:
Teyla briefed Elizabeth and the team on the planet (which was cold but dry), the people (who were capable but wary), the governmental structure (tribal-based, with a council of diplomacy, mostly female, and a hierarchy or warlords, mostly male), and the goal: twenty to fifty baskets of gourds.
Once the team returned from their post-mission medical check, with bandages and antacids applied, Elizabeth debriefed them on their goal: achieved with thirty-five baskets of gourds and ten jars of honey; the governmental structure, which had been gravely depleted by a recent landslide; the people, who had been unanimous in their complaints about public waterworks, and the planet, which was undergoing a kind of warming, and was far soggier than it had been when Teyla last visited some five years earlier.
Wordwitch originally posted this at http://wordwitch.dreamwidth.org/151869.html. Please comment there using OpenID. Current comment count is
The Online Etymology Dictionary gives us two:
brief (n.)
from L. breve (gen. brevis), noun derivative of L. adj. brevis (see brief (adj.)) which came to mean "letter, summary" (specifically a letter of the pope, less ample and solemn than a bull), and came to mean "letter of authority," which yielded the modern, legal sense of "summary of the facts of a case" (1630s). The verb meaning "to give instructions or information to" (1866) was originally "to instruct by a brief" (1862); hence briefing, first attested 1910 but popularized by WWII pre-flight conferences.
debrief
"obtain information (from someone) at the end of a mission," 1945, from de- + brief (v.).
-- and, of course, the portmanteau word to carry them along:
briefcase
"portable folding case for holding papers," 1926, from brief in the paper sense + case.
So it would go like this:
A problem would be discovered that needs a solution. Information would be gathered on the background, the elements involved, the environment, whatever else would apply.
A wise person would compile all this information into a clear summary.
This summary, or brief, would be presented to the agent or agent charged with carrying out a mission to solve the problem in a briefing.
The agent or agents would gather the tools needed for the mission, based on their own knowledge and on recommendations delivered along with the brief. They would personally ensure, to the best of their ability and provisions, the soundness of those tools.
The mission would go forward. If possible, the agent or agents would return, or would otherwise send back information.
Upon return and upon ability (allowing for medical care), the agent or agents would report on the details of the mission to the appropriate personnel. This verbal report, together with the clarifying questions, is a debriefing.
Or, in more understandable terms:
Teyla briefed Elizabeth and the team on the planet (which was cold but dry), the people (who were capable but wary), the governmental structure (tribal-based, with a council of diplomacy, mostly female, and a hierarchy or warlords, mostly male), and the goal: twenty to fifty baskets of gourds.
Once the team returned from their post-mission medical check, with bandages and antacids applied, Elizabeth debriefed them on their goal: achieved with thirty-five baskets of gourds and ten jars of honey; the governmental structure, which had been gravely depleted by a recent landslide; the people, who had been unanimous in their complaints about public waterworks, and the planet, which was undergoing a kind of warming, and was far soggier than it had been when Teyla last visited some five years earlier.
Wordwitch originally posted this at http://wordwitch.dreamwidth.org/151869.html. Please comment there using OpenID. Current comment count is