ABBRE'VIA'TIONS (Lat. ad, to + breris, short). Contrivances in writing for saving time and space. They are of two kinds, consist ing either in the omission of some letters, or words, or in the substitution of some arbitrary sign. In the earliest times, when uncial or lapidary characters were used, abbreviations by omission prevailed, such as we find in the inscriptions on monuments, coins, etc. In these the initial letter is often put instead of the whole word, as M. for Marcus, F. for Filius. It was after the small Greek and Roman letters had been invented by transcribers for facilitating their work that signs of abbreviation, or char acters representing double consonants. syllables, and whole words, came into use. Greek manu scripts abound with such signs, and often only one who has expressly studied Greek paleogra phy can make them out. From the manuscripts they passed into the early printed editions of Greek books, and it is only within the last cen tury that they have quite disappeared. Among the Romans the system was carried to such an extent that L. Annrens Seneca collected and clas sified 5000 abbreviations. The same practice has prevailed in all languages, hut nowhere more than in the rabbinical writings. The abbrevi ations used by the ancient Romans were contin ued and increased in the Middle Ages. They occur in inscriptions, manuscripts, and legal documents; and the practice endured in these long after the invention of printing had made it unnecessary in books. An act of Parlia ment was passed in the reign of George It., for bidding the use of abbreviations in legal docu ments. Owing to these abbreviations, the deciph
ering of old writings requires special study and training, and forms a separate science, on which numerous treatises have been written. One of the most exhaustive is Tassin's Noureau Traite dc Diplomatique (6 volumes, Paris, 1750-65). See PALEOGRAPHY.
In ordinary writing and printing few abbrevia tions are now employed. The sign CE, originally an abbreviation for the Latin et, "and," is one of the few still to be met with of this arbitrary kind. It does not stand properly for a word, for it is used in different languages, but for an idea, and is as much a symbol as The abbre viations by using the initials of Latin words that are still in use are chiefly confined to titles, dates, and a few phrases; as M.A. (magistcr artium), Master of Arts; A.D. (anno Domini), in the year of our Lord; e.g. (exempli grutia), for example. Many are now formed from Eng lish words in the same way; as F.G.S., Fellow of the Geological Society; B.c., before Christ.
The following table contains many of the more important abbreviations in general use. There are omitted from it many others whose meanings are obvious, and all abbreviations for days, months, countries, States, many proper names, as those of the Scriptures; grammatical, scientific, and other technical terms; familiar titles, as Mr., Gov.; and the majority of commer cial terms, as. B/1, bill of lading. The names of many societies are omitted, especially when their abbreviations, as Y.N.C.A., are well known.