List of Latin abbreviations

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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.

Contents

[edit] Most common abbreviations and usages

The most common Latin words and abbreviations still in use are:

  • 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 is, and not be changed.
  • 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 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.
Example: "These results agree with the ones published by Pelon et al. (2002)"
  • 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."
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 period of time during which a person, school, movement or even species was active or flourishing.
  • 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)."
  • 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)."
  • p.a. (per annum) means "through a year", and is used to indicate 'yearly'.
  • P.S. (post scriptum) means "after what has been written", 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.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."

[edit] Less common abbreviations and usages

Many words and abbreviations have been in general use, but are not commonly used as of 2006:

  • 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) : 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 was founded").
  • et seq. , et seqq. (et sequens) : and the following (use et seqq. if the following is plural)
  • inst. (instante mense) : this month (see also prox. and ult.);
  • O.D. (oculus dexter) : right eye. Used in vision correction prescriptions.
  • O.S. (oculus sinister) : 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.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";

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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