Abbreviation

A short or contracted mode of writing, veiy common in old records, law treatises and reports, especially those in Latin and French, and still used to a limited extent in the practice of the courts, and in printed books. There are yarious kinds of abbreviation: as. By using the initial lettera of words in-' tead of the words at length; as B. B. for Banco Begis; jV. P. for Nisi Prius; S. C. for Same Case, and the like. By usin? the first syllables instead of the entire words; as re. fa. lo. for recordari facias loquelam; sus. per col. for suspen* sus per collum; and the more modem and familiar cur. adv. vult, for curia advisari vult; fi. fa. for fwri facias; sci. fa. for scire facias, and the like. So in references to authorities; lib. for liber, cap. for caput, and the like. By doubling the initial letter to denote the plural; as LL. for leges, laws; cc. for capita, chapters. All the foregoing kinds of abbreviation are still in common use. By omitting one or more of the letters of a word, as dns, for dominus; het, for habet; kmdi, for hujusmodi; oibs, for omnibus; qd, for quod; and the French boe, for bone; dde, for demande, pols, for parols, and the like. These contractions formed one of the peculiarities of the court hand in which the records of the courts were anciently written, and are followed in some of the old printed books, as Bracton, and the Register. They were accompanied by various arbitrary marks upon, or over the letters retained, to denote the omissions. Tovms. PI. per tot. See Court Iiand, Contraction. They were prohibited by the English statute of 4 Geo. II. c. 26, the provisions of which have generally been adopted in the United States.

3 Bl. Com. 323. 2 N. T. Bev. St. [275,] 205, § 9.

A very few of these contractions, however, continue to be retained, though without any of the ancient marks; as vs. for versus; adsm. for ad sectam, and the like. By substituting a different letter for those omitted, as acco, for actio; casscKO, for cassatio; administracon for administration, and the like.

Toums. PL 26.

But these are entirely disused.