Abbreviations

• Abbreviations and Acronyms: A Guide for Family Historians 
  A book by by Kip Sperry.
• Abbreviations Found in Genealogy 
• Acronym Finder 
  Over 193,000 acronyms/abbreviations and their definitions.
• Alphabet Soup: Understanding the Genealogical Community 
• Ancestry.com - Abbreviations and Acronyms 
  Article by Kip Sperry.
• Ancestry.com - Making Sense of the Alphabet Soup 
  From "Along Those Lines..." by George Morgan.
• Common Terms & Abbreviations  ~ Finnish
• Deciphering Old Handwriting 
  • Old Style Abbreviations - Proper Names 
  • Old Style Abbreviations - Places of Birth 
• [The original link is broken. This link points to an archived copy on the Wayback Machine]
  Genealogical Abbreviations 
• The Genealogists' Handbook - Common (and Not So Common) Abbreviations 
  From Kentuckiana Genealogy.
• Genealogy Abbreviations 
• Genealogy Quest: Genealogical Research Assistance - Abbreviations 
• Quaker Abbreviations for Meeting Minutes 
• ROOTS-L Resources: Abbreviations Used in Genealogy 
• Secret Society, Fraternal organizations abbreviations, slogans, mottoes, a complete list: A-L  and M-Z 
  Known Fraternal organizations and secret societies with abbreviations.
• Terms and Abbreviations in the Communion Book Headings  ~ Finnish
• UK Genealogy - Common Acronyms & Jargon 
• Using Hinshaw’s Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy 
  Includes abbreviations used in this important Quaker genealogical resource.
• Vertalingen van Latijns naar het Nederlands 
  A dictionary for translating Latin genealogical words to the Dutch language.

Diseases & Medical Terms

• Antiquus Morbus -Rudy's List of Archaic Medical Terms 
  A Glossary of Archaic Medical Terms, Diseases and Causes of Death. The Genealogist's Resource for Interpreting Causes of Death. Antiquus Morbus is a collection of old medical terms and their modern definitions. The primary focus of this web site is to help decipher the Causes of Death found on Mortality Lists, Certificates of Death and Church Death Records from the 19th century and earlier.
• Colonial Diseases & Cures 
• [The original link is broken. This link points to an archived copy on the Wayback Machine]
  Forgotten Medical Cures 
  From the "Yucky Stuff" thread on the Roots-L mailing list, October 1998.
• Genealogy.com - Outdated Medical Terminology 
• German-English Illness Translations 
• Jewish Genetic Diseases 
  Mazornet's staff is dedicated to compiling helpful information and resources concerning Jewish genetic diseases.
• Kentuckiana Genealogy - Disease Chart 
• Medical Dictionary Online 
  Free online medical dictionary search engine for definitions of medical terminology, pharmaceutical drugs, healthcare equipment, health conditions, medical devices, specialty terms and medical abbreviations.
• A Medical Miscellany for Genealogists 
  A book by Jeanette Jerger.
• Miners' Diseases 
  By Gareth Williams, a socio-economic history of the Rhondda Valleys (Wales) during the period 1800 to 1950. Ankylostomlasis, Beat Knee, Chronic Bronchitis, Emphysema, Nitrous Fumes, Nystagmus, Pneumoconiosis, Respitory Diseases.
• Old Disease Names & Their Modern Definitions 
• Old Disease Names and Their Modern Definitions 
  Useful tool to understanding those out of date medical terms used on your ancestors death certificates.
• Old Diseases & Their Modern Definitions 
• Old Medical Terminology 
• Old Time Disease Names 
• The Olive Tree Genealogy: Glossary of Ancient Diseases 
• Online Archive of American Folk Medicine 
  Searchable database of home made treatments for a variety of ailments.
• Outdated Medical Terms 

Genealogy Dictionaries & Glossaries

• Ancestry's Concise Genealogical Dictionary 
  A book by Maurine Harris and Glen Harris.
• Charlotte's Web Genealogical Dictionary 
• Charts for Reference in Genealogy Research 
  Glossary Chart, Occupation Chart, War Chart, Disease Chart.
• Colonial American English: A Glossary 
  A book by Richard M. Lederer.
• The Correct Spelling of the Word GENEALOGY 
  A little memory aid by Mark Howells.
• Danish-English Genealogy Dictionary 
• The Dictionary of Genealogy 
  A book by Terrick H. Fitzhugh. An outstanding reference explaining terms and concepts used in UK genealogy.
• Engelsk-svensk ordlista för släktforskning 
  English-Swedish dictionary for genealogy research.
• eogen - Encyclopedia of Genealogy 
  A free-content encyclopedia created by its readers, created and hosted by Dick Eastman.
• FamilySearch.org - Word Lists 
  Genealogical word lists from the FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service of the LDS Church.
  • Czech  Danish , Dutch , Finnish , French , German ,
  • Hungarian 
  • Icelandic  Italian , Latin , Norwegian , Polish , Norwegian , Portuguese , Spanish , Swedish 
• Gareth's Help Page - Technical Words/Expressions 
  Excellent resource for UK genealogical terminology.
• Genealogical Glossary  
• Genealogy Definitions 
• Genealogy Dictionary 
• Genealogy Dictionary from Family Tree Maker 
• Genealogy Knowledgebase 
• genealogyPro Glossary of Genealogy Terms 
• Genealogy Quest - Genealogy Terminology 
• Genealogy Terms 
• German-English Genealogical Dictionary 
  A book by Ernest Thode.
• German Study Group / German Words 
• Glossary 
  Online searchable glossary from the Acadian Memorial in St. Martinville, Louisiana.
• Glossary of Legal Terms 
• Glossary of Scottish terms of interest to genealogists 
  From the Scottish Archives Network.
• Glossary of Terms used in past times 
  From the United Kingdom.
• Glossary of Unusual Words Found in Wills etc. 
• Kentuckiana Genealogy - Genealogy Glossary 
• Land Records Glossary 
  From the Georgia Archives.
• Latin Genealogical Word List 
  From the FamilySearch.org.
• Latin Genealogy Glossary 
• Latin in Parish Records 
  Article by Alison U. Ring.
• Latin Words from Belgium Parish Registers Translations to Flemish/Dutch/Vlaams & English 
• Martin's Norwegian Genealogy Dictionary 
  This dictionary contains words related to genealogy. Most of the words are not likely to appear in a common dictionary. However, to be able to make a translation you will also need a common dictionary. Abbreviation NN means Nynorsk (one of Norway's two official languages).
• A Medical Miscellany for Genealogists 
  A book by Jeanette L. Jerger.
• The Olive Tree Genealogy: Dictionary of Terms 
• A Partial List of Latin Genealogy Terms and Their English Equivalents 
• ROOTS-L Resources: Genealogical Terms and Definitions 
• Svensk-engelskt släkt-lexikon 
• Swedish to English 
  Useful terms and information for the genealogist.
• Translations 
  Some common words in various languages you may encounter in your research. Lists of common words include English, French, German, Spanish, Irish and Latin.
• UK Genealogy - Common Acronyms & Jargon 
• The USGenWeb Project Information for Researchers - Genealogy Vocabulary 
• The Wedderburn Pages - Glossary 
  Glossary of archaic Scottish words and phrases useful for genealogical research, including terms linked to property and possessions, found in wills and testaments.
• Whakapapa Maori - Structure, Terminology and Usage 
• What Did They Mean by That: A Dictionary of Historical Terms for Genealogists 
  A book by Paul Drake.

Law Dictionaries

• Archive CD Books USA 
  Reproductions of old books for sale on CD-ROM.
  • A Dictionary of Law Containing Definitions of the Terms and Phrases of American and English Jurisprudence, Ancient and Modern (First Edition, 1891) 
    By Henry Campbell Black, M.A. Commonly known as "Black's Law Dictionary."
• Bouvier Law Dictionary 
  A Law Dictionary Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States of America and of the Several States of the American Union, by John Bouvier, Revised Sixth Edition, 1856.

Mailing Lists, Newsgroups & Chat

• Genealogy Resources on the Internet - Translations and Word Origins Mailing Lists 
  Most of the mailing list links below point to this site, wonderfully maintained for years by John Fuller. This site indexes links for all known genealogy mailing lists, including RootsWeb and others.
• RootsWeb: Genealogy Mailing Lists: Translations and Word Origins 
  The majority of genealogy mailing lists are hosted by RootsWeb.com. Messages on RootsWeb lists are archived. The links to RootsWeb below point you to the archives (browse or search).

• GEN-Documents Mailing List 
  For discussion and sharing of information related to the reading of old British documents such as parish registers, wills, etc., including old handwriting and Latin.
• HessenGenWeb Discussion Group 
  Offers free language translation.
• LATIN-WORD Mailing List 
  For anyone with a genealogical or historical interest in deciphering and interpreting written documents in Latin from earliest to most recent 20th Century times, and discussing old Latin words, phrases, names, abbreviations and antique jargon. Archives: browse or search.
• NICKNAMES Mailing List 
  For discussion and sharing of information regarding the origins of nicknames and what names they belong to. Archives: browse or search.
• OLD-ENGLISH Mailing List 
  For anyone who is deciphering old English documents to discuss interpretations of handwriting and word meanings. Archives: browse or search.
• OLD-FRENCH Mailing List 
  For anyone with a genealogical or historical interest in deciphering and interpreting written documents in French from earliest to most recent 20th Century times, and discussing old French words, phrases, names, abbreviations and antique jargon. Archives: browse or search.
• OLD-GERMAN Mailing List 
  For anyone with a genealogical or historical interest in deciphering and interpreting written documents in German from earliest to most recent 20th Century times, and discussing old German words, phrases, names, abbreviations and antique jargon. Archives: browse or search.
• OLD-RUSSIAN Mailing List 
  For anyone with a genealogical or historical interest in deciphering and interpreting written documents in Russian from earliest to most recent 20th Century times, and discussing old Russian words, phrases, names, abbreviations and antique jargon. Archives: browse or search.
• OLD-WORDS Mailing List 
  For the discussion of old words, phrases, names, abbreviations, and antique jargon useful to genealogy. Archives: browse or search.
• PolishLessons Mailing List 
  For Poland researchers in translating Polish documents and to further their research while visiting/researching in Poland. Archives: browse or search.
• TRANSLATIONS Mailing List 
  For anyone who can help others, or desires help, in the translation of documents that directly support genealogical research efforts. Archives: browse or search.
• WORDS Mailing List  and the associated web page
  A lighthearted discussion of English-English/American-English phrases and how they might have originated. Archives: browse or search.

Miscellaneous

• Amazon.com Genealogy Bookstore - Dictionaries 
  The following are individual book titles of interest for this topic. The book links below point to the Amazon.com bookstore online where you may purchase the book if you wish. These links are provided to bring these published resources to your attention as an aid to your research. Follow the links to books of interest to make note of their title, author, publisher, and ISBN. You might then use this information to obtain the book from your local library or your favorite corner book shop.
  • Latin for the Illiterati : Exorcizing the Ghosts of a Dead Language 
    A book by Jon R. Stone.
  • Latin for Local and Family Historians: A Beginner's Guide 
    A book by Denis Stuart.
  • More Latin for the Illiterati: A Guide to Everyday Medical, Legal, and Religious Latin 
    A book by Jon R. Stone.
  • Nicknames: Past & Present 
    A book by Christine Rose CG, CGL, FASG.
  • Scottish Gaelic-English/English-Scottish Gaelic Dictionary 
    A book by R. W. Renton.
• AmeriSpeak: Expressions of Our Ancestors 
• Ancestry.com - Terms of Confusement: Dowry and Dower 
  From Shaking Your Family Tree by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, C.G.
• Civil War Soldier Vocabulary 
• Definition of Early Immigrants 
• Dictionary of Regional American English 
• Glossaire Quaker Glossary 
  This glossary contains only Quaker jargon, i.e. words used in a special sense among Quakers. In French & English.
• Glossary, Acronyms and Abbreviations 
  Land terms defined from the Bureau of Land Management's Learning the Cadastral Data Content Standard.
• Glossary of Latin Terminology 
• Graven Images 
  Describes the symbolism of motifs on gravestones - from The Olive Tree.
• How Many? - A Dictionary of Units of Measurement 
  How many cloves in a stone? How many bushels to a seam? This is an encylopedic listing of current, historical, and obscure measurements from around the world..
• Leicestershire Agricultural Terms  ~ England
• Nicknames List 
• Plautdietsch Dictionary 
  A Mennonite Low German dictionary.
• Shipping Terminology 
  With a Prince Edward Island Slant.
• Ye Olde English Sayings 

Other Online Dictionaries, Glossaries, Etc.

• 24 Hour Translations - Latin Resources Collection 
  Translation service and online resources.
  • Latin Phrases 
  • Online Latin Dictionary 
  • Date Converter 
  • Roman Numerals Converter 
• Beginners' Latin 
  Latin 1086 – 1733: a practical online tutorial for beginners. From the National Archives of the United Kingdom
• Glossaries - Frank Dietz, Ph.D. 
  Over 2,500 glossary links.
• Latin Dictionary 
• Latin Dictionary and Grammar Aid 
• Law.Com Dictionary 
  Searchable dictionary of legal terms.
• Online Dictionaries, Glossaries and Encyclopedias 
• Romani Project Manchester  ~ England
  Provides information on the Romani language & on linguistic research on Romani. From the School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures at the University of Manchester.
  • Romani Dialects Interactive 
    Sample different European dialects of Romani & inspect the geographical diffusion of structural variants.
• Taphophilia.com: Death/Funeral Industry Terms 
• UK Railways - Glossary 
• yourDictionary.com 
  A huge index of a variety of available dictionaries, including foreign translation sites.

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