| A | |
| a. (in Etym.) | adoption of, adopted from |
| a (as a 1850) | ante, 'before', 'not later than' |
| a. | adjective |
| abbrev. | abbreviation (of) |
| abl. | ablative |
| absol. | absolute, -ly |
| Abstr. | (in titles) Abstract, -s |
| acc. | accusative |
| Acct. | (in titles) Account |
| A.D. | Anno Domini |
| ad. (in Etym.) | adaptation of |
| Add. | Addenda |
| adj. | adjective |
| Adv. | (in titles) Advance, -d, -s |
| adv. | adverb |
| advb. | adverbial, -ly |
| Advt. | advertisement |
| Aeronaut. | (as label) in Aeronautics; (in titles) Aeronautic, -al, -s |
| AF., AFr. | Anglo-French |
| Afr. | Africa, -n |
| Agric. | (as label) in Agriculture; (in titles) Agriculture, - al |
| Alb. | Albanian |
| Amer. | American |
| Amer. Ind. | American Indian |
| Anat. | (as label) in Anatomy; (in titles) Anatomy, - ical |
| Anc. | (in titles) Ancient |
| Anglo-Ind. | Anglo-Indian |
| Anglo-Ir. | Anglo-Irish |
| Ann. | Annals |
| Anthrop., Anthropol. | (as label) in Anthropology; (in titles) Anthropology, -ical |
| Antiq. | (as label) in Antiquities; (in titles) Antiquity |
| aphet. | aphetic, aphetized |
| app. | apparently |
| Appl. | (in titles) Applied |
| Applic. | (in titles) Application, -s |
| appos. | appositive, -ly |
| Arab. | Arabic |
| Aram. | Aramaic |
| Arch. | (as label) in Architecture; (in titles) Architecture, -al |
| Arm. | Armenian |
| assoc. | association |
| Astr. | in Astronomy |
| Astrol. | in Astrology |
| Astron. | (in titles) Astronomy, -ical |
| Astronaut. | (in titles) Astronautic, -s |
| attrib. | attributive, -ly |
| Austral. | Australian |
| Autobiogr. | (in titles) Autobiography, -ical |
| A.V. | Authorized Version |
| B | |
| B.C. | Before Christ |
| B.C. | (in titles) British Columbia |
| bef. | before |
| Bibliogr. | (as label) in Bibliography; (in titles) Bibliography, -ical |
| Biochem. | (as label) in Biochemistry; (in titles) Biochemistry, -ical |
| Biol. | (as label) in Biology; (in titles) Biology, - ical |
| Bk. | Book |
| Bot. (as label) in Botany; (in titles) Botany, -ical Bp. | Bishop |
| Brit. | (in titles) Britain, British |
| Bulg. | Bulgarian |
| Bull. | (in titles) Bulletin |
| C | |
| c (as c 1700) | circa, 'about' |
| c. (as 19th c.) | century |
| Cal. | (in titles) Calendar |
| Cambr. | (in titles) Cambridge |
| Canad. | Canadian |
| Cat. | Catalan |
| catachr. | catachrestically |
| Catal. | (in titles) Catalogue |
| Celt. | Celtic |
| Cent. | (in titles) Century, Central |
| Cent. Dict. | Century Dictionary |
| Cf., cf. | confer, 'compare' |
| Ch. | Church |
| Chem. | (as label) in Chemistry; (in titles) Chemistry, - ical |
| Chr. | (in titles) Christian |
| Chron. | (in titles) Chronicle |
| Chronol. | (in titles) Chronology, -ical |
| Cinemat., Cinematogr. | in Cinematography |
| Clin. | (in titles) Clinical |
| cl. L. | classical Latin |
| cogn. w. | cognate with |
| Col. | (in titles) Colonel, Colony |
| Coll. | (in titles) Collection |
| collect. | collective, -ly |
| colloq. | colloquial, -ly |
| comb. | combined, -ing |
| Comb. | Combinations |
| Comm. | in Commercial usage |
| Communic. | in Communications |
| comp. | compound, composition |
| Compan. | (in titles) Companion |
| compar. | comparative |
| compl. | complement |
| Compl. | (in titles) Complete |
| Conc. | (in titles) Concise |
| Conch. | in Conchology |
| concr. | concrete, -ly |
| Conf. | (in titles) Conference |
| Congr. | (in titles) Congress |
| conj. | conjunction |
| cons. | consonant |
| const. | construction, construed with |
| contr. | contrast (with) |
| Contrib. | (in titles) Contribution |
| Corr. | (in titles) Correspondence |
| corresp. | corresponding (to) |
| Cotgr. | R. Cotgrave, Dictionarie of the French and English tongues |
| cpd. | compound |
| Crit. | (in titles) criticism, critical |
| Cryst. | in Crystallography |
| Cycl. | (in titles) Cyclopaedia, -ic |
| Cytol. | (in titles) Cytology, -ical |
| D | |
| Da. | Danish |
| D.A. | Dictionary of Americanisms |
| D.A.E. | Dictionary of American English |
| dat. | dative |
| D.C. | District of Columbia |
| Deb. | (in titles) Debate, -s |
| def. | definite, -ition |
| dem. | demonstrative |
| deriv. | derivative, -ation |
| derog. | derogatory |
| Descr. | (in titles) Description, -tive |
| Devel. | (in titles) Development, -al |
| Diagn. | (in titles) Diagnosis, Diagnostic |
| dial. | dialect, -al |
| Dict. | dictionary; spec., the Oxford English Dictionary |
| dim. | diminutive |
| Dis. | (in titles) Disease |
| Diss. | (in titles) Dissertation |
| D.O.S.T. | Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue |
| Du. | Dutch |
| E | |
| E. | East |
| Eccl. | (as label) in Ecclesiastical usage; (in titles) Ecclesiastical |
| Ecol. | in Ecology |
| Econ. | (as label) in Economics; (in titles) Economy, - ics |
| ed. | edition |
| E.D.D. | English Dialect Dictionary |
| Edin. | (in titles) Edinburgh |
| Educ. | (as label) in Education; (in titles) Education, - al |
| EE. | Early English |
| e.g. | exempli gratia, 'for example' |
| Electr. | (as label) in Electricity; (in titles) Electricity, - ical |
| Electron. | (in titles) Electronic, -s |
| Elem. | (in titles) Element, -ary |
| ellipt. | elliptical, -ly |
| Embryol. | in Embryology |
| e.midl. | east midland (dialect) |
| Encycl. | (in titles) Encyclopaedia, -ic |
| Eng. | England, English |
| Engin. | in Engineering |
| Ent. | in Entomology |
| Entomol. | (in titles) Entomology, -logical |
| erron. | erroneous, -ly |
| esp. | especially |
| Ess. | (in titles) Esssay, -s |
| et al. | et alii, 'and others' |
| etc. | et cetera |
| Ethnol. | in Ethnology |
| etym. | etymology |
| euphem. | euphemistically |
| Exam. | (in titles) Examination |
| exc. | except |
| Exerc. | (in titles) Exercise, -s |
| Exper. | (in titles) Experiment, -al |
| Explor. | (in titles) Exploration, -s |
| F | |
| f. | feminine |
| f. | (in Etym.) formed on |
| f. (in subordinate entries) | form of |
| F. | French |
| fem. (rarely f.) | feminine |
| fig. | figurative, -ly |
| Finn. | Finnish |
| fl. | floruit, 'flourished' |
| Found. | (in titles) Foundation, -s |
| Fr. | French |
| freq. | frequent, -ly |
| Fris. | Frisian |
| Fund. | (in titles) Fundamental, -s |
| Funk or Funk's Stand. Dict. | Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary |
| G | |
| G. | German |
| Gael. | Gaelic |
| Gaz. | (in titles) Gazette |
| gen. | genitive |
| gen. | general, -ly |
| Geogr. | (as label) in Geography; (in titles) Geography, - ical |
| Geol. | (as label) in Geology; (in titles) Geology, - ical |
| Geom. | in Geometry |
| Geomorphol. | in Geomorphology |
| Ger. | German |
| Gloss. | Glossary |
| Gmc. | Germanic |
| Godef. | F. Godefroy, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue francaise |
| Goth. | Gothic |
| Govt. | (in titles) Government |
| Gr. | Greek |
| Gr. | Great |
| Gram. | (as label) in Grammar; (in titles) Grammar, - tical |
| Gt. | Great |
| H | |
| Heb., Hebr. | Hebrew |
| Her. | in Heraldry |
| Herb. | among herbalists |
| Hind. | Hindustani |
| Hist. | (as label) in History; (in titles) History, - ical |
| hist. | historical |
| Histol. | (as label) in Histology; (in titles) Histology, - ical |
| Hort. | in Horticulture |
| Househ. | (in titles) Household |
| Housek. | (in titles) Housekeeping |
| I | |
| Ibid. | Ibidem, 'in the same book or passage' |
| Icel. | Icelandic |
| Ichthyol. | in Ichthyology |
| id. | idem, 'the same' |
| i.e. | id est, 'that is' |
| IE. | Indo-European |
| Illustr. | (in titles) Illustration, -ted |
| imit. | imitative |
| Immunol. | in Immunology |
| imp. | imperative |
| impers. | impersonal |
| impf. | imperfect |
| ind. | indicative |
| indef. | indefinite |
| Industr. | (in titles) Industry, -ial |
| inf. | infinitive |
| infl. | influenced |
| Inorg. | (in titles) Inorganic |
| Ins. | (in titles) Insurance |
| Inst. | (in titles) Institute, -tion |
| int. | interjection |
| intr. | intransitive |
| Introd. | (in titles) Introduction |
| Ir. | Irish |
| irreg. | irregular, -ly |
| It. | Italian |
| J | |
| J., (J.) | (quoted from) Johnson's Dictionary |
| (Jam.) | Jamieson, Scottish Dict. |
| Jap. | Japanese |
| joc. | jocular, -ly |
| Jrnl. | (in titles) Journal |
| Jun. | (in titles) Junior |
| K | |
| Knowl. | (in titles) Knowledge |
| L | |
| l. | line |
| L. | Latin |
| lang. | language |
| Lect. | (in titles) Lecture, -s |
| Less. | (in titles) Lesson, -s |
| Let., Lett. | letter, letters |
| LG. | Low German |
| lit. | literal, -ly |
| Lit. | Literary |
| Lith. | Lithuanian |
| LXX | Septuagint |
| M | |
| m. | masculine |
| Mag. | (in titles) Magazine |
| Magn. | (in titles) Magnetic, -ism |
| Mal. | Malay, Malayan |
| Man. | (in titles) Manual |
| Managem. | (in titles) Management |
| Manch. | (in titles) Manchester |
| Manuf. | in Manufacture, -ing |
| Mar. | (in titles) Marine |
| masc. (rarely m.) | masculine |
| Math. | (as label) in Mathematics; (in titles) Mathematics, -al |
| MDu. | Middle Dutch |
| ME. | Middle English |
| Mech. | (as label) in Mechanics; (in titles) Mechanics, - al |
| Med. | (as label) in Medicine; (in titles) Medicine, - ical |
| med.L. | medieval Latin |
| Mem. | (in titles) Memoir, -s |
| Mataph. | in Metaphysics |
| Meteorol. | (as label) in Meteorology; (in titles) Meteorology, -ical |
| MHG. | Middle High German |
| midl. | midland (dialect) |
| Mil. | in military usage |
| Min. | (as label) in Mineralogy; (in titles) Mineralogy, - ical |
| Mineral. | (in titles) Mineralogy, -ical |
| MLG. | Middle Low German |
| Mics. | (in titles) Miscellany, -eous |
| mod. | modern |
| mod.L. | modern Latin |
| (Morris) | (quoted from) E. E. Morris's Austral English |
| Mus. | (as label) in Music; (in titles) Music, -al; Museum |
| Myst. | (in titles) Mystery |
| Mythol. | in Mythology |
| N | |
| N. | North |
| n. | neuter |
| N.Amer. | North America, -n |
| N.&Q. | Notes and Queries |
| Narr. | (in titles) Narrative |
| Nat. | (in titles) Natural |
| Nat. Hist. | in Natural History |
| Naut. | in nautical language |
| N.E. | North East |
| N.E.D. | New English Dictionary, original title of the Oxford English |
| Dictionary (first edition) Neurol. | in Neurology |
| neut. (rarely n.) | neuter |
| NF., NFr. | Northern French |
| No. | Number |
| nom. | nominative |
| north. | northern dialect |
| Norw. | Norwegian |
| n.q. | no quotations |
| N.T. | New Testament |
| Nucl. | Nuclear |
| Numism. | in Numismatics |
| N.W. | North West |
| N.Z. | New Zealand |
| O | |
| obj. | object |
| obl. | oblique |
| Obs., obs. | obsolete |
| Obstetr. | (in titles) Obstetric |
| occas. | occasionally |
| OE. | Old English (= Anglo-Saxon) |
| OF., OFr. | Old French |
| OFris. | Old Frisian |
| OHG. | Old High German |
| OIr. | Old Irish |
| ON. | Old Norse |
| ONF. | Old Northern French |
| Ophthalm. | in Ophthalmology |
| opp. | opposed (to), the opposite (of) |
| Opt. | in Optics |
| Org. | (in titles) Organic |
| orig. | origin, -al, -ally |
| Ornith. | (as label) in Ornithology; (in titles) Ornithology, -ical |
| OS. | Old Saxon |
| OSl. | Old (Church) Slavonic |
| O.T. | Old Testament |
| Outl. | (in titles) Outline |
| Oxf. | (in titles) Oxford |
| P | |
| p. | page |
| Palaeogr. | in Palaeography |
| Palaeont. in Palaeontology; (in titles) Palaeontology, -ical pa. pple. | passive participle, past participle |
| (Partridge) | (quoted from) E. Partridge's Dictionary of Slang and |
| Unconventional English pass. | passive, -ly |
| pa.t. | past tense |
| Path. | (as label) in Pathology; (in titles) Pathology, - ical |
| perh. perhaps Pers. | Persian |
| pers. | person, -al |
| Petrogr. | in Petrography |
| Petrol. | (as label) in Petrology; (in titles) Petrology, - ical |
| (Pettman) | (quoted from) C. Pettman's Africanderisms |
| pf. | perfect |
| Pg. | Portuguese |
| Pharm. | in Pharmacology |
| Philol. | (as label) in Philology; (in titles) Philology, - ical |
| Philos. | (as label) in Philosophy; (in titles) Philosophy, - ic |
| phonet. | phonetic, -ally |
| Photogr. | (as label) in Photography; (in titles) Photography, -ical |
| phr. | phrase |
| Phys. | physical; (rarely) in Physiology |
| Physiol. | (as label) in Physiology; (in titles) Physiology, -ical |
| Pict. | (in titles) Picture, Pictorial |
| pl., plur. | plural |
| poet. | poetic, -al |
| Pol. | Polish |
| Pol. | (as label) in Politics; (in titles) Politics, - al |
| Pol. Econ. | in Political Economy |
| Polit. | (in titles) Politics, -al |
| pop. | popular, -ly |
| Porc. | (in titles) Porcelain |
| poss. | possessive |
| Pott. | (in titles) Pottery |
| ppl. a., pple. adj. | participial adjective |
| pple. | participle |
| Pr. | Provencal |
| pr. | present |
| Pract. | (in titles) Practice, -al |
| prec. | preceding (word or article) |
| pred. | predicative |
| pref. | prefix |
| pref., Pref. | preface |
| prep. | preposition |
| pres. | present |
| Princ. | (in titles) Principle, -s |
| priv. | privative |
| prob. | probably |
| Probl. | (in titles) Problem |
| Proc. | (in titles) Proceedings |
| pron. | pronoun |
| pronunc. | pronunciation |
| prop. | properly |
| Pros. | in Prosody |
| Prov. | Provencal |
| pr. pple. | present participle |
| Psych. | in Psychology |
| Psychol. | (as label) in Psychology; (in titles) Psychology, -ical |
| Publ. | (in titles) Publications |
| Q | |
| Q. | (in titles) Quarterly |
| quot(s). | quotation(s) |
| q.v. | quod vide, 'which see' |
| R | |
| R. | (in titles) Royal |
| Radiol. | in Radiology |
| R.C.Ch. | Roman Catholic Church |
| Rec. | (in titles) Record |
| redupl. | reduplicating |
| Ref. | (in titles) Reference |
| refash. | refashioned, -ing |
| refl. | reflexive |
| Reg. | (in titles) Register |
| reg. | regular |
| rel | related to |
| Reminisc. | (in titles) Reminiscence, -s |
| Rep. | (in titles) Report, -s |
| repr. | representative, representing |
| Res. | (in titles) Research |
| Rev. | (in titles) Review |
| rev. | revised |
| Rhet. | in Rhetoric |
| Rom. | Roman, -ce, -ic |
| Rum. | Rumanian |
| Russ. | Russian |
| S | |
| S. | South |
| S.Afr. | South Africa, -n |
| sb. | substantive |
| sc. | scilicet, 'understand' or 'supply' |
| Sc., Scot. | Scottish |
| Scand. | (in titles) Scandinavia, -n |
| Sch. | (in titles) School |
| Sc. Nat. Dict. | Scottish National Dictionary |
| Scotl. | (in titles) Scotland |
| Sel. | (in titles) Selection, -s |
| Ser. | Series |
| sing. | singular |
| Sk. | (in titles) Sketch |
| Skr. | Sanskrit |
| Slav. | Slavonic |
| S.N.D. | Scottish National Dictionary |
| Soc. | (in titles) Society |
| Sociol. | (as label) in Sociology; (in titles) Sociology, - ical |
| Sp. | Spanish |
| Sp. | (in titles) Speech, -es |
| sp. | spelling |
| spec. | specifically |
| Spec. | (in titles) Specimen |
| St. | Saint |
| Stand. | Standard |
| Stanf. | (quoted from) Stanford Dictionary of Anglicised Words & Phrases |
| str. | strong |
| Struct. | (in titles) Structure, -al |
| Stud. | (in titles) Studies |
| subj. | subject |
| subord. cl. | subordinate clause |
| subseq. | subsequent, -ly |
| subst. | substantively |
| suff. | suffix |
| superl. | superlative |
| Suppl. | Supplement |
| Surg. | (as label) in Surgery; (in titles) Surgery, Surgical |
| s.v. | sub voce, 'under the word' |
| Sw. | Swedish |
| s.w. | south-western (dialect) |
| Syd. Soc. Lex. | Sydenham Society, Lexicon of Medicine & Allied Sciences |
| syll. | syllable |
| Syr. | Syrian |
| Syst. | (in titles) System, -atic |
| T | |
| Taxon. | (in titles) Taxonomy, -ical |
| techn. | technical, -ly |
| Technol. | (in titles) Technology, -ical |
| Telegr. | in Telegraphy |
| Teleph. | in Telephony |
| (Th.) | (quoted from) Thornton's American Glossary |
| Theatr. | in the Theatre, theatrical |
| Theol. | (as label) in Theology; (in titles) Theology, - ical |
| Theoret. | (in titles) Theoretical |
| Tokh. | Tokharian |
| tr., transl. | translated, translation |
| Trans. | (in titles) Transactions |
| trans. | transitive |
| transf. | transferred sense |
| Trav. | (in titles) Travel(s) |
| Treas. | (in titles) Treasury |
| Treat. | (in titles) Treatise |
| Treatm. | (in titles) Treatment |
| Trig. | in Trigonometry |
| Trop. | (in titles) Tropical |
| Turk. | Turkish |
| Typog., Typogr. | in Typography |
| U | |
| ult. | ultimately |
| Univ. | (in titles) University |
| unkn. | unknown |
| U.S. | United States |
| U.S.S.R. | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics |
| usu. | usually |
| V | |
| v., vb. | verb |
| var(r)., vars. | variant(s) of |
| vbl. sb. | verbal substantive |
| Vertebr. | (in titles) Vertebrate, -s |
| Vet. | (as label) in Veterinary Science; (in titles) Veterinary |
| Vet. Sci. | in Veterinary Science |
| viz. | videlicet, 'namely' |
| Voy. | (in titles) Voyage, -s |
| v.str. | strong verb |
| vulg. | vulgar |
| v.w. | weak verb |
| W | |
| W. | Welsh; West |
| wd. | word |
| Webster | Webster's (New International) Dictionary |
| Westm. | (in titles) Westminster |
| WGmc. | West Germanic |
| Wks. | (in titles) Works |
| w.midl. | west midland (dialect) |
| WS. | West Saxon |
| Y | |
| (Y.) | (quoted from) Yule & Burnell's Hobson- Jobson |
| Yrs. | (in titles) Years |
| Z | |
| Zoogeogr. | in Zoogeography |
| Zool. | (as label) in Zoology; (in titles) Zoology, - ical |