Piers Plowman Electronic Archive

Cambridge MS B.15.17 (W)

Abbreviations and Suspensions in Cambridge, Trinity College, MS B.15.17

Abbreviations and Suspensions

The most common abbreviations and suspensions in the Middle English text and a few selective ones from the Latin quotations are given below with thumbnail images to illustrate each. Brackets in the printed text represent the interpreted characters. Note that in some instances identical forms are interpreted differently, depending upon the scribe's usage when words are spelled out.

-r(e)	maker(e), your(e), etc.
-(er)-	m(er)ke , m(er)cy , neu(er)e , neiþ(er), pou(er)e , s(er)ued , s(er)uen , þ(er)to , v(er)tue , etc.
-c(i)o-	orac(i)o(n)es .¹
-ll(e)	p(ur)fill(e), apparaill(e), etc.
(m) ~ (n)	co(m)mune , felou(n), kitou(n), Londou(n), wo(m)men , Nu(m)q(ua)m , q(ua)ntu(m), etc.
p(ar)- ~ p(er)-	P(ar)doners , p(er)ils , p(er)sone , etc.
p(re)-	p(re)chours , p(re)sse , p(re)sent , etc.
p(ro)-	p(ro)frede , p(ro)phetes , etc.
q(ue)	q(ue) (Old French), -q(ue) (Latin), quoq(ue) (Latin), etc.
-(ra)-¹	dep(ra)ue , g(ra)ce , g(ra)ue , etc.
-(ra)-²	F(ra)unce , g(ra)cious , Reg(ra)ter , etc.²
-(a)-	walsyngh(a)m , etc.³
-(ri)-	c(ri)stene , pilg(ri)mes , p(ri)nceps , etc.
-r(um)	eor(um), iustor(um), etc.
-(ua)-	Nu(m)q(ua)m , q(ua)ntu(m), ~ q(ua)m , etc.⁴
-(u)l-	tabernac(u)la , oc(u)lo , etc.
-(ur)-	soio(ur)ned , p(ur)fill(e), etc.
-(ur)	Miseret(ur), formo(ur), etc.
-(us)	audiuim(us), Bon(us), laudam(us), Maledict(us), etc.

Brevigraphs:

A few words appear commonly as brevigraphs:

christi	(christi)
dominus	d(omin)us
domine	d(omi)ne
israel	Isr(ae)l
Ierusalem	Ier(usa)l(e)m
Iesu	(Iesu)
Iesus	(Iesus)
Iohan	Ioh(a)n
misericordiam	mi(sericordi)am
omnis	O(mn)is ~ om(n)is
omnium	om(n)i(um)
quod	q(uo)d
sanctorum	s(an)c(t)or(um)
spiritus sanctus	sp(irit)us s(an)c(t)us
spiritu sancto	sp(irit)u s(an)c(t)o
þat	þ(a)t
nobis	nob(is)
with	w(i)t(h)

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