Latin was once the universal academic language in Europe. From the eighteenth century authors started using their mother tongue to write books, papers or proceedings. However many Latin abbreviations continued to be used due to their precise simplicity and also Latin's status as a learned language. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...

Most common abbreviations and usages

The most common Latin words and abbreviations still in use are: Abbreviation (from Latin brevis short) is strictly a shortening, but more particularly, an abbreviation is a letter or group of letters, taken from a word or words, and employed to represent them for the sake of brevity. ...

• A.D. (anno Domini), "in the year of the Lord".

• a.m. (ante meridiem), "before midday".

• ca (circa), "around (about, approximately)".

• cf. (confer) means "bring together" and hence "compare" (confer is the imperative of the Latin verb conferre).

Example: "These results were similar to those obtained using different techniques (cf. Wilson, 1999 and Ansmann, 1992)."

• C.V. or CV (curriculum vitae), meaning "course of life". A document containing a summary or listing of relevant job experience and education. The exact usage of the term varies between British English and American English.

• D.v. (Deo volente), "God willing".

• D G or DEI GRA (Dei gratia), "by the grace of God". A part of the monarch's title, it is found on all British coins.

• ead. (eadem): see id. below.

• et al. (et alii) means "and others", or "and co-workers".

Example: "These results agree with the ones published by Pelon et al. (2002)."

It can also stand for et alia, "and other things". Look up AD in Wiktionary, the free dictionary AD or ad may stand for: ad or advertisement, see advertising ad- prefix Administrative domain Air Defence Andorra, ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code Anno Domini (In the Year of [Our] Lord). This year is A.D. 2005. ... Dionysius Exiguus invented Anno Domini years to date Easter. ... The 12-hour clock is a timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem (AM, Latin for before noon) and post meridiem (PM, Latin for after noon). Each period consists of 12 hours numbered 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... The 12-hour clock is a timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem (AM, Latin for before noon) and post meridiem (PM, Latin for after noon). Each period consists of 12 hours numbered 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... Look up Circa on Wiktionary, the free dictionary The Latin word circa, literally meaning about, is often used to describe various dates (often birth and death dates) that are uncertain. ... Look up Circa on Wiktionary, the free dictionary The Latin word circa, literally meaning about, is often used to describe various dates (often birth and death dates) that are uncertain. ... Look up Cf. ... cf. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... ... ... This page includes English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations such as . ... This page includes English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations such as . ... This page lists direct English translations of common Latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and et cetera. ...

• etc. (et cetera) (archaic abbreviations include &c. and &/c.) means "and the others", "and other things", "and the rest".

Example: "I need to go to the store and buy some pie, milk, cheese, etc."

• e.g. (exempli gratia) means "for example", "for instance".

Example: "The use of a sensor to measure the solar radiation, e.g. a sunphotometer, is necessary in this technique."

• fl. or flor. (floruit) means the period of time during which a person, school, movement or even species was active or flourishing (literally, "he/she/it flourished").

• F D or FID DEF (fidei defensor), "defender of the faith". A part of the monarch's title, it is found on all British coins.

• ibid. (ibidem) means "in the same place (book, etc.)", and is used in citations. It should not be confused with the following abbreviation. It is better pronounced ibídem, with stress on the second -i- (as it was in Latin).

• id. (idem) means "the same (man)". It is used to avoid repeating the name of an author (in citations, footnotes, bibliographies, etc.) Note that if we are quoting an authoress we should use the corresponding feminine form, i.e. ead. (eadem), "the same (woman)" (eadem is pronounced with stress on the first e-).

• i.e. (id est) means "that is" or "in other words".

Example: "For reasons not fully understood there is only a minor PSI contribution to the variable fluorescence emission of chloroplasts (Dau, 1994), i.e. the PSI fluorescence appears to be independent from the state of its reaction centre (Butler, 1978)."

• lb. (libra) means "scales", used to indicate the pound (mass).

• M.O. (modus operandi) means "method of operating".

• n.b. (nota bene) means "note well". Some people use "Note" for the same purpose.

Example: "n.b.: All the measurements have an accuracy of 5% as they were calibrated according to the procedure described by Jackson (1989)."

• nem. con. (nemine contradicente) means "with no-one speaking against". This does NOT mean "unanimously", but simply that nobody voted against - in other words, there may have been abstentions.

• p.a. (per annum) means "through a year", and is used in the sense of "yearly".

• p.m. (post meridiem), "after midday".

• p.m.a. (post mortem auctoris) means "after the author's death".

• p.p. & per pro. (per procurationem), "through the agency of".

• PRN (pro re nata), "as needed" in relation to medication.

• P.S. (post scriptum) means "after what has been written"; it is used to indicate additions to a text after the signature.

• Q.D. (quaque die), "every day", used on medications to indicate when to take.

• Q.E.D. (quod erat demonstrandum) means "which was to be demonstrated". Cited in many texts at the end of a mathematical proof.

• q.v. (quod vide) means "which see". Used after a term or phrase that should be looked up elsewhere in the current document or book. For more than one term or phrase, the plural is quae vide (qq.v.).

• REG (regina), "queen". A part of the monarch's title, it is found on all British coins minted when the reigning monarch is a queen. Rex, "king" (not an abbrieviation) is used when the reigning monarch is a king.

• R.I.P. (requiescat in pace), "may he/she rest in peace": a short prayer for a dead person. It can also mean requiescant (plural) in pace, i.e. "may they" etc.

• sc. (scilicet) means "that is to say". It has mostly been replaced by "i.e."

Example: "I was three sheets to the wind last night, sc. I was extremely intoxicated."

• s.o.s. ("si opus sit"), "if there is need", "if occasion require", "if necessary". [1]

• viz (videlicet) means "namely". There is no full stop after viz because the -z shows the abbreviation. Some people use "i.e." for the same purpose. However, the use of i.e. can be wrong, as viz should be used, as in the following example, to precede a complete list when the group has already been named collectively.

Example: "The noble gases, viz helium, neon, argon, xenon, krypton and radon, show a non-expected behavior when exposed to this new element."

• vs or v. (versus) means "against" (sometimes is not abbreviated).

Example: "From Figure 1 that shows force (in newtons) vs. mass (in kilograms) we can derive the acceleration of the body."

This article is about &c. ... Look up et cetera in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... E.G. is an Australian only release EP from New Zealand four piece Goodshirt. ... This page lists English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations, such as and . ... FL, Fl or fl may stand for: FL (complexity), a class of functions in complexity theory. ... Floruit (or fl. ... Ibid (Latin, short for ibidem, the same place) is the term used to provide an endnote or footnote citation or reference for a source that was cited in the last endnote or footnote. ... Ibid (Latin, short for ibidem, the same place) is the term used to provide an endnote or footnote citation or reference for a source that was cited in the last endnote or footnote. ... Ibid (Latin, short for ibidem, the same place) is the term used to provide an endnote or footnote citation or reference for a source that was cited in the last endnote or footnote. ... Ibid (Latin, short for ibidem, the same place) is the term used to provide an endnote or footnote citation or reference for a source that was cited in the last endnote or footnote. ... This page includes English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations such as . ... This page includes English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations such as . ... lb may refer to two units of measurement: A pound (unit of mass) A pound-force (unit of force), better distinguished as lbf or lbf. ... The ancient Roman units of measurement were built on the Greek system with Egyptian influences. ... The pound (abbreviations: lb or, sometimes in the United States, #) is a unit of mass in a number of different systems, including various systems of units of mass that formed part of English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Modus operandi (often used in the abbreviated form MO) is a Latin phrase, approximately translatable as mode of operation. ... Modus operandi (often used in the abbreviated form MO) is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as mode of operation. ... The letters NB can stand for Nb – the symbol for the chemical element Niobium Norwegian Bokmål language (ISO 639 alpha-2, nb) NB – the Canadian province of New Brunswick (Canada Post provincial abbreviation) NB, n. ... Nota Bene is a Latin phrase meaning Note Well, coming from notâre -- to note. ... This page lists direct English translations of common Latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and et cetera. ... Look up Pa in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Pa, PA or pa may stand for: pa, a word for dad or father (pa or paw) pa, Chinese political title meaning hegemon Pa, Maori word meaning a fortified village or redoubt, described at length in Maori Wars Per annum, p. ... This page includes English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations such as . ... The 12-hour clock is a timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem (AM, Latin for before noon) and post meridiem (PM, Latin for after noon). Each period consists of 12 hours numbered 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... The 12-hour clock is a timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem (AM, Latin for before noon) and post meridiem (PM, Latin for after noon). Each period consists of 12 hours numbered 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... This page lists direct English translations of common Latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and et cetera. ... Procuration (Lat. ... Pro re natat or PRN - meaning as needed or as the situation demands, is often used on prescriptions by doctors to indicate when a medication should be taken. ... Pro re natat or PRN - meaning as needed or as the situation demands, is often used on prescriptions by doctors to indicate when a medication should be taken. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A postscript (from post scriptum, a Latin expression meaning after writing and abbreviated P.S.) is a sentence, paragraph, or occasionally many paragraphs added, often hastily and incidentally, after the signature of a letter or (sometimes) the main body of an essay or book. ... Q.E.D. is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase (literally, which was to be demonstrated). In simple terms, the use of this Latin phrase is to indicate that something has been definitively proven. ... For other meanings of the abbreviation QED, see QED. Q. E. D. is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase quod erat demonstrandum (literally, that which was to be demonstrated). This is a translation of the Greek oper edei deixai which was used by many early mathematicians including Euclid and Archimedes. ... In mathematics, a proof is a demonstration that, assuming certain axioms, some statement is necessarily true. ... This page includes English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations such as . ... The abbreviation or acronym RIP has several different meanings: It can stand for Rest In Peace, a phrase which often appears on tombstones. ... “Tombstone” redirects here. ... The adverbs viz and videlicet are two words of Latin origin used today as synonyms of namely, precisely, that is to say, and introduce a specification or a more detailed description of something stated before. ... Viz is a method of introducing a list or a series. ... Viz is a somewhat archaic abbreviation of the Latin word videlicet (which means that is to say) which is often used to introduce a list or series, in much the same way as a colon. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Less common abbreviations and usages

Many words and abbreviations have been in general use, but are not often used nowadays:

• inter alia : Latin for "among other things", but not an abbreviation.

• inter alios : Latin for "among others", i.e. people, or legal entities.

• a.U.c. (ab Urbe condita) : Latin for "from the foundation of the City": it refers to the founding of Rome, which occurred in 753 BC according to Livy's count. Used as a reference point in ancient Rome for establishing dates, before being supplanted by other systems. Also anno Urbis conditae (a.U.c.) ("in the year that the City [Rome] was founded"). For example, the year 2007 AD is the year 2760 ab Urbe condita (753 + 2007 = 2760); though, rigorously speaking, the year a.U.c. begins on April 21, the birthday of Rome (i.e. the day that Romulus was traditionally believed to have founded the Eternal City).

• et seq. (et sequens), et seqq. (et sequentes, or et sequentia) : "and the following" (use et seqq. if "the following" is plural).

• inst. (instante mense) : "this month" (see also prox. and ult.).

• N.N. (nomen nescio) : "I do not know the name": used as a placeholder for unknown names in e.g. the Book of Common Prayer.

• O.D. (oculus dexter) : "the right eye". Used in vision correction prescriptions.

• O.S. (oculus sinister) : "the left eye". Used in vision correction prescriptions.

• op. cit. (opere citato) : "in the work that was cited". Used in place of repeating the citation of the most recently referenced work in text.

• prox. (proximo mense) : "next month" (see also inst. and ult.).

• Q.E.C. (quod erat construendum) : "which was to be constructed" (after constructing something, normally to show its existence).

• Q.E.F. (quod erat faciendum) : "which was to be done".

• ult. (ultimo mense) : "last month" (see also inst. and prox.).

• V.C. (vi coactus) : "on constrains". Used when forced to sign ("or else...").

• v.i. (vide infra) means "see below".

• v.s. (vide supra) means "see above".

This page includes English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations such as . ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Centuries: 9th century BC - 8th century BC - 7th century BC Decades: 800s BC 790s BC 780s BC 770s BC 760s BC - 750s BC - 740s BC 730s BC 720s BC 710s BC 700s BC Events and trends 756 BC - Founding of Cyzicus. ... A portrait of Titus Livius made long after his death. ... Look up AD, ad-, and ad in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Romulus may refer to any of these articles: Romulus is a mythical founder of Rome, brother of Remus. ... Nomen nescio, abbreviated to N.N., is used to signify an anonymous or non-specific person. ... For the novel by Joan Didion, see A Book of Common Prayer. ...

See also

• sic, Latin for "thus", but not an abbreviation.
• stet, Latin for "let it stand", but not an abbreviation. Used in editing to indicate that something should remain as it is, and not be changed.
• List of Latin phrases
• The partial list of abbreviations in the article on medical prescriptions
• List of ecclesiastical abbreviations

Sic is a Latin word meaning thus or so. In writing, it is italicized and placed within square brackets — [sic] — to indicate that an incorrect or unusual spelling, phrase, or other preceding quoted material is a verbatim reproduction of the quoted original and is not a transcription error. ... A stet is a proofreading mark used to instruct the writer to disregard a change the editor had previously marked. ... This page lists direct English translations of common Latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and et cetera. ... A medical prescription ) is an order (often in written form) by a qualified health care professional to a pharmacist or other therapist for a treatment to be provided to their patient. ... The words most commonly abbreviated at all times are proper names, titles (official or customary), of persons or corporations, and words of frequent occurrence. ...

External links

• COMMONEST ABBREVIATIONS, SIGNS, ETC. USED IN THE APPARATUS TO A CLASSICAL TEXT

• Common abbreviations in Latin inscriptions published in L'année épigraphique 1888-1993