Abbreviations

• Common Latin Abbreviations

  (Current usage/news)
  
  

  Abbreviation       Latin                English usage
  ------------       -----                -------------
  ca.                circa                approximately 
  cf.                confer               compare 
  e.g.               exempli gratia       for example 
  et al.             et alii              and the others
  etc.               et cetera            and so on
  ibid.              ibidem               in the same place as the 
                                          previous reference
  i.e.               id est               that is 
  N.B.               Nota Bene            note well
  P.S.               post scriptum        an addition to the main text 
  viz.               videlicet            namely 
  
  Usage notes
  -----------
  
  ca.   This works best with dates and in parenthesis. 
  
        The house was built during the Depression (ca. 1932).
  
  cf.   This can be replaced with "see" or "compare".
  
  e.g.  Style manuals disagree on the use of periods.  Where possible, the 
        words "for example" (spelled out and in English) can be used to improve 
        clarity.  
        
        They purchased luxury goods (for example, champaign).
  
  etc.  Where possible, the words "and so on" to improve clarity.
  
  i.e.  Style manuals disagree on the use of periods.  Where possible, 
        the words "that is" are preferred.
        
        John left the city of his birth (that is, New York).
        
  N.B.  This is capitalised.
  
  

  Commentary and usage suggestions on Latin abbreviations found on the web...
  
  
  • Latin Abbreviations (University of Michigan, US)

    All of these antiquated Latin abbreviations at one time had an important purpose. They functioned as a secondary, parenthetical language which sifted through, evaluated, qualified references for the reader. Eighteenth-century scholars used all of these designations as a way of talking to each other in code, telling each other what to expect from their sources. It was a natural mode of discourse for them--they all studied Latin, of course.

  • Abbreviations of Latin Expressions (English Plus+, US)

    In standard writing, use the English equivalent or write out the whole word.

  • Some common Latin expressions (University of Edinburgh, UK)

    Nowadays many publishers discourage the use of these Latin expressions and their abbreviations in footnotes and endnotes (presumably because so few people know what they mean!), but some publishers (Oxford University Press, for example) seem to insist on them. Anyway, these are the most commonly used in references, footnotes etc., should you come across them, or feel the urge to start using them yourselves.

  • Abbreviations (Capital Community College, US)

    Do not italicize or underline these abbreviations. Most sources recommend avoiding the use of Latin abbreviations except within parenthetical notes and some sources say not to use Latin abbreviations at all (use the English terms instead) except within citations or reference lists.

  • Abbreviations (University of Sussex, UK)

    The rule about using these Latin abbreviations is very simple: don't use them. Their use is only appropriate in special circumstances in which brevity is at a premium, such as in footnotes. It is very poor style to spatter your page with these things, and it could be disastrous to use them without being quite sure what they mean. If you do use one, make sure you punctuate it correctly.

  
  
  

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• Dictionary abbreviations

  (Definitions)
  
  
  • AHD3  (American Heritage Dictionary, 3rd ed.)
  • AHD  (American Heritage Dictionary)
  • COD  (Concise Oxford Dictionary)
  • MEU  (Modern English Usage (Fowler, Gowers or Burchfield))
  • MWCD  (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary)
  • NODE  (New Oxford Dictionary of English)
  • NSOED  (New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary)
  • OED  (Oxford English Dictionary)
  • RHDEL  (Random House Dictionary of the English Language)
  • RHHDAS  (Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang)
  • RHWCD  (Random House Webster's College Dictionary)
  • RHWUD  (Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary)
  • SOED  (Shorter Oxford English Dictionary)
  • W3NID  (Webster's Third New International Dictionary)
  
  
  

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