To decode brevigraphs and tironian notes, recognise that you are dealing with dedicated signs whose meaning is largely fixed by the sign itself, not by cut-off letters: the per, pro and con marks, the ampersand and tironian ⁊ for et, and the crossed Rx for rum are the core set. Master that small inventory, then expand each sign to the grammatically correct form for its context, the same discipline you apply to any abbreviation.

What is the difference between a brevigraph and a tironian note?

A brevigraph is a sign-level abbreviation: one mark stands for a whole word or a fixed syllable, regardless of how many letters it replaces. Tironian notes are an entire ancient shorthand system, attributed to Cicero's freedman Tiro, that once had thousands of signs but survives in everyday medieval use through essentially one of them, the tironian et (written like a small 7). So in practice you will meet a handful of brevigraphs constantly and exactly one tironian note constantly. Decoding both uses the same skill: recognise the sign, supply the value, fit the grammar.

Which brevigraphs make up the core inventory?

A compact table covers the signs you will see on almost every medieval Latin page:

Sign	Value	Notes
& / ⁊	et	ampersand and tironian et
p + crossed descender	per / par	position and word decide
p + looped descender (ꝓ)	pro
open 9	con/com (initial), -us (final)	position-dependent
crossed R (Rx)	rum	genitive plural ending, e.g. omniũ vs omniRx
÷ or : style mark	est	varies by region

The position-dependent open-9 is the classic trap: the same sign means con at the start of a word and -us at the end, so it can never be read in isolation.

How does the tironian et behave?

The tironian et is a small 7-shaped sign meaning "and." It is everywhere in medieval Latin manuscripts, often interchangeable with the ampersand on the same page. It even survives in living use: Irish public signage uses it as the symbol joining elements in Irish-language text, and it appears in early printing where type-cutters reproduced it from manuscript practice. When you meet it, simply read et; the only subtlety is not confusing it with a numeral 7 or a final-position r in a hand where those shapes are close.

What is the decoding workflow?

Use the same disciplined sequence you would for any abbreviation, with a step for sign recognition at the front:

Brevigraph decoding workflow
1. Spot the sign      -> is this a dedicated brevigraph or a contraction?
2. Look up the value  -> core inventory, then Cappelli / Abbreviationes
3. Check position     -> open-9, p-family change value by position
4. Fit the grammar    -> supply case/number/ending for the context
5. Record + flag      -> glossary entry; [?] for genuine uncertainty

The crossed-R for rum is a good test of step 4: it almost always resolves a genitive plural ending, so sanctoRx is sanctorum. Read the sign, then let the surrounding syntax confirm the ending.

How do you tell a brevigraph from a contraction?

Both shorten words, but the mechanism differs and the cue is visual. A contraction omits the middle of a word and marks the omission with a macron or apostrophe (dñs for dominus); a brevigraph is a self-contained sign with its own shape (ꝓ for pro). In practice they intermix freely, so do not over-think the taxonomy: classify the mark, recall its value, and expand. The taxonomy matters mainly for explaining your method in an editorial note and for looking the sign up under the right heading in a reference.

Do these signs appear in early print, and why care?

Yes, and it matters for anyone working across the manuscript-to-print transition. Early type-founders cut sorts for the common brevigraphs to imitate scribal practice, so the per, pro, con marks, the tironian et and the Rx-rum sign appear in incunabula and persist into the sixteenth century before fading. Recognising them in printed books prevents transcription errors in early editions and lets you trace how print inherited and then shed manuscript conventions. When you transcribe an incunable, apply the same decoding inventory you use for manuscripts.

Key Takeaways

• Brevigraphs are dedicated signs with fixed values; tironian notes survive mainly as the et sign (⁊).
• The core inventory is small: et, the per/pro marks, open-9, and the crossed-R for rum.
• The open-9 sign is position-dependent: con/com initially, -us finally.
• The tironian et survives in living use on Irish signage and in early printing.
• The crossed-R almost always resolves a genitive plural ending such as -orum.
• Distinguish brevigraphs (self-contained signs) from contractions (macron over omitted letters), but decode both together.
• These signs persist into incunabula, so apply the same inventory when transcribing early print.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a brevigraph?

A brevigraph is a single sign that stands for a whole word or a fixed syllable, such as the per, pro and con marks, the ampersand for et, or the crossed Rx for rum. It is a sign-level abbreviation, distinct from contraction by macron.

What are tironian notes?

Tironian notes (notae Tironianae) are an ancient Roman shorthand system traditionally attributed to Cicero's secretary Tiro. Only one sign survives in common use, the tironian et, written like a small 7, meaning "and".

Is the tironian et still used today?

Yes, in a limited way. The tironian et survives on Irish public signage, where it appears as the symbol joining elements in Irish-language text, and it lingers in some manuscripts and early print.

How do brevigraphs differ from ordinary abbreviations?

Brevigraphs are dedicated signs whose value is largely fixed by the sign itself, whereas suspensions and contractions abbreviate by cutting letters and rely on a macron or apostrophe. In practice both appear together and you decode them with the same references.

What reference decodes an unfamiliar sign?

Cappelli's lexicon remains the standard, with the online Abbreviationes database for searching by form. For tironian notes specifically, specialist editions and the Schmitz/Kopp facsimiles are the scholarly references.

Do brevigraphs survive into early printing?

Yes. Early printers cut type for the common brevigraphs to imitate manuscript practice, so the per, pro, con marks, the tironian et and the Rx-rum sign appear in incunabula and well into the sixteenth century.

Related reading

• Expand common Latin abbreviations
• Beginner's guide to English court hand
• Historical punctuation
• Palaeography glossary
• Date a medieval charter by its script