all-too-brief

the compound adjective 'all-too-brief' is a modern english formation that intensifies the sense of regrettable brevity. its components are native english words: 'all' and 'too' are of old english origin, used as intensifiers, while 'brief' entered english from old french 'brief', itself from latin 'brevis' meaning short. the phrase's logic is transparent, combining these elements to express a common sentiment that something desirable was, unfortunately, not long enough. it follows a productive english pattern of creating hyphenated adjectival phrases for emphatic description.

Structure: all + too + brief all (old english, meaning 'entirely, wholly'); too (old english, meaning 'excessively, beyond what is desirable'); brief (latin via old french, meaning 'short in duration').