List of Abbreviations
Abbreviations may appear with or without an initial capital, depending on their context. If a full form and its abbreviation both end with the same letter, the end stop has generally been omitted.
| a (before a date) | ante, before, not later than |
| abbrev. | abbreviated, abbreviation (of) |
| absol. | absolute, -ly |
| Acct | account(s) |
| ad. | adaptation (of) |
| adj. | adjective, -tival |
| adjs | adjectives |
| Admin. | administration |
| adv. | adverb, -ial |
| advs | adverbs |
| advt | advertisement |
| Afk. | Afrikaans |
| Afk. E | Afrikaans English |
| Afr. | Africa, African |
| Afr. E | African English |
| Agric. | agriculture, agricultural |
| Amer. | American |
| A.N.C., ANC | African National Congress |
| Ann. | annual, annals |
| anon. | anonymous |
| Anthropol. | anthropology, anthropological |
| app. | apparently |
| App. | Appendix |
| Archeol. | archeology |
| Archit. (as label) | in architecture |
| Archit. (in titles) | architecture, -al |
| Assoc. | association, associated |
| attrib. | attributive, -ly |
| Austral. | Australian |
| Autobiog. | autobiography, -ical |
| Biog., Biogr. | biography, -ical |
| bk(s) | book(s) |
| Bot. | botany, -ical |
| Brit. | British, Brittanica |
| Brit. Eng. | British English |
| Bros. | brothers |
| c (before a date) | circa |
| C. (as 19th C.) | century |
| Catal. | catalogue |
| Cent. | century |
| cf. | compare |
| Chem. | chemical |
| Chron. | chronicle(s) |
| Civ. | civilization(s), civilized |
| Co. | company |
| cogn. | cognate |
| Col. | colony, -ies, colonial |
| Col. E | Coloured English |
| Coll., Collect. | collection |
| colloq. | colloquial, -ly |
| comb. | combination(s), combining |
| Comm. | committee |
| Commiss. | commission |
| Compar. | comparative |
| Cons. S. Afr. Eng. | Conservative South African English |
| Constit. | constitution, -al |
| Contemp. | contemporary |
| Contrib. | contribution, contributions |
| Corresp. | correspondence |
| Cycl. | cyclopædia |
| Decentral. | decentralization |
| Dept | department |
| derog. | derogatory, derogatorily |
| Descr. | description(s) |
| Dev. | development |
| dial. | dialect, -al |
| Dict. | dictionary |
| dim. | diminutive |
| Dir. | directory |
| Dis. | diseases |
| Disc. | discovery, -ies |
| Doc. | documentary, document(s) |
| Du. | Dutch |
| E. | East, -ern |
| Econ. | economic(s), economy, economical |
| ed. | edition, editor, edited |
| Edin. | Edinburgh |
| eds | editors |
| Educ. | education, -al |
| ellipt. | elliptical, -ly |
| Encycl. | encyclopedia |
| Eng. | English |
| Engin. | engineers, engineering |
| Environ. | environmental |
| E. Prov. | Eastern Province (South Africa) |
| Equat. | Equatorial |
| erron. | erroneously |
| esp. | especially |
| Esq. | esquire |
| Est. | establishment, established |
| et al. | and others |
| etc. | and the rest |
| etym. | etymology, -ical |
| exc. | except |
| Exec. | executive |
| Exped. | expedition(s) |
| Explor. | exploration(s), exploratory |
| fem. | feminine |
| fig. | figurative, -ly |
| fr. | from |
| Fr. | French |
| freq. | frequent, -ly |
| Furn. | furniture |
| G. | German |
| Gard. | gardeners’ |
| Gaz. | gazette |
| Gen. | general |
| Geog., Geogr. | geography, geographic, -al |
| Geol. | geological |
| Ger. | German |
| G.H. | Good Hope |
| Gk | Greek |
| Gloss. | glossary |
| Govt | government |
| Gt | great |
| Hist. (as label) | in a historical context |
| Hist. (in titles) | history, -ical |
| Hort., Horticult. | horticulture, -al |
| Hse | house |
| Ibid. | in the same book or passage |
| i.e. | that is |
| I.L.A.M. | International Library of African Music, Grahamstown |
| Illust. | illustrated, illustrations |
| imp. | imperative, -ly |
| Imp. | imperial |
| Ind. | India, -n |
| Indust. | industry, -ies, industrial |
| Info. | information |
| Inst. | institute |
| int. | interjection, -al |
| Int. | interior |
| Internat. | international |
| intrans. | intransitive, -ly |
| Intro., Introd. | introduction |
| It. | Italian |
| (Jeffreys) | quoted from M. D. W. Jeffreys: see Bibliography |
| Jhb. | Johannesburg |
| joc. | jocular, -ly |
| Jrnl(s) | journal(s) |
| K.W.V. | Ko-operatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging (Co-operative Winegrowers Association) |
| L. | Latin |
| Lang. | language(s) |
| Lett. | letters |
| Ling. | linguistic(s) |
| Lit. | literary, literature |
| loc. | locative |
| Ltd | limited |
| m. | metre |
| Mag. | magazine |
| Mem. | memoirs, memorial, memories |
| Meth. | Methodist |
| Mil. | military |
| Misc. | miscellaneous, miscellany |
| ml | millilitre |
| Mod. | modern |
| n. | noun |
| N. | North, -ern |
| Napac | Natal Performing Arts Council |
| Narr. | narrative, narration |
| Nat. | national, natural |
| N.E.L.M. | National English Literary Museum, Grahamstown |
| No. | number |
| nr | near |
| ns | nouns |
| N.U.M. | National Union of Mineworkers |
| Nusas | National Union of South African Students |
| N.Z. | New Zealand |
| obs. | obsolete |
| Observ. | observation |
| occas. | occasionally |
| OED | Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition |
| Off. | official |
| O.F.S., OFS | Orange Free State |
| Ord. | Ordinance(s) |
| orig. | original, -ly |
| P.A.C. | Pan-African(ist) Congress |
| Parl. | parliamentary |
| part. | partial |
| perh. | perhaps |
| pers. | person, -al |
| Pers. | Persian |
| (Pettman) | quoted from C. Pettman: see Bibliography |
| Pg. | Portuguese |
| Phil. | philosophical |
| Philol. | philological |
| Philos. | philosophical |
| phr(r). | phrase(s) |
| Pict. | pictorial |
| pl., pl. | plural |
| Pl. | plate |
| pl. n. (phr.) | plural noun (phrase) |
| Pop. | popular |
| ppl adj. | participial adjective |
| pple | participle |
| Prac. | practical |
| prec. | preceding (word or entry) |
| pref. | prefix |
| Pref. | preface |
| prep. | preposition |
| prob. | probably |
| Proc. | proceedings |
| Proclam. | proclamation |
| Prog. | progress |
| pron. | pronoun |
| Prov. | Province |
| Pty | proprietory |
| Quart. | quarterly |
| quot., quots | quotation(s) |
| R. | royal |
| Rd | road |
| Rec. | record(s) |
| Ref. | reference |
| Reflect. | reflections |
| Reg. | register, regulation(s) |
| Regul. | regulation(s) |
| Rel. | relations |
| rel. to | related to |
| Reminisc. | reminiscences |
| Rep. | report, representative |
| Rep. of S. Afr. | Republic of South Africa |
| Res. | residence |
| Rev. | review |
| rev. | revised |
| S. | South |
| S. Afr. | South Africa, -n |
| S. Afr. Du. | South African Dutch |
| S. Afr. Eng. | South African English |
| S.A.I.R.R. | South African Institute of Race Relations |
| S.A.R. & H. | South African Railways & Harbours |
| Sat. | Saturday |
| sc. | namely |
| Sci. | science, scientific |
| Scot. | Scottish |
| Sect. | section |
| Sel. | select, -ed, selection(s) |
| Sep. | separate |
| sing. | singular |
| Sn | southern |
| Soc. | society, social |
| sp. | spelling, species (singular) |
| Sp. | Spanish |
| spec. | specific, -ally |
| spp. | species (plural) |
| SRC | Students’ Representative Council |
| SSB | Standard Southern British English |
| St | Saint |
| Stat. | statute(s), statutory |
| Std | standard |
| Str. | street |
| subsp. | subspecies |
| suff. | suffix |
| Suppl. | supplement |
| S.W. Afr. | South-West Africa, -n |
| (Swart) | quoted from C. P. Swart: see Bibliography |
| tr. | translation (of), translator, translated |
| Trad. | tradition(al) |
| trans. | transitive |
| Trans. | transactions |
| transf. | transferred (sense) |
| Trav. | travels, traveller |
| Treas. | Treasury |
| Treat. | treatment |
| trs | translators |
| Tvl | Transvaal |
| U.K. | United Kingdom |
| Univ. | university |
| unkn. | unknown |
| U.S.(A.) | United States (of America) |
| usu. | usually |
| v. | verb, -al |
| var(r). | variant(s) of |
| vbl n. | verbal noun |
| Vet. | veterinary |
| Vol. | volume |
| vols | volumes |
| Voy. | voyage(s) |
| W. | West, -ern |
| Yr(s) | year(s) |
| Zoo., Zool. | zoology, -ical |