When recipes include information on weights and measures, I generally follow the form given in the manuscript, whether that is recorded as a full word, abbreviation, or symbol. Abbreviated forms are italicised in the transcriptions. While there are many standard abbreviations and symbols (outlined below), some can be challenging to interpret; where symbols are unclear or ambiguous, I have recorded them as â(.)â. The symbols listed below are approximations based on current Unicode characters. Finally, it must be remembered that there is some degree of uncertainty and flexibility with respect to the precise volumes and weights described by these metrological terms; while this is perhaps obvious for certain measurements (e.g., one personâs manipulus, âhandfulâ, could be quite different from someone elseâs), it should also be kept in mind for the more technical vocabulary in use.
The abbreviations and symbols for weights and measures that appear in the transcriptions are as follows:
| Latin term | Approximate English translation | Common abbreviations and symbols |
|---|---|---|
| calix | cup | cal |
| coclearium / coclear | spoon, spoonful | cocl, coclr, etc. |
| denarius | denarius (coin) | denr, dir, dnr, dr, Äa |
| drachma / dragma | drachma, dram | drag, drg, z, â , Ê |
| dimidium | half | dim |
| fasciculus | bundle, bunch | fascl, fasc, etc. |
| libra | pound | lib, lb, £ |
| manipulus | handful | man, manp, manip, etc.; rarely m |
| pondus | pound (or âweightâ more generally) | pond, p |
| scripulus / scrupulus | scruple | scrip, scrp, sc, Å,b â |
| semis and/or semuncia | half and/or half ounce | sem.un, s, Ê, Åc |
| sextarius | sextarius (a liquid measure, roughly half a litre) | s, ses, sex, ss, ÆÆ, Æt, ⥠|
| solidus | solidus (coin) | sol |
| staupus | cup | stau |
| uncia | ounce | un, unc, ro,d â», ~, â |
There is a potentially some ambiguity and/or overlap for the abbreviations and symbols used to signify denarius and drachma.
This is my approximation for one of the symbols that can represent a scruple; an image of this symbol is also reproduced in Henry E. Sigerist, âMaÃe und Gewichte in den medizinischen Texten des frühen Mittelaltersâ, Kyklos 3 (1930): 439â44; see the table on pp. 442â3.
This is my approximation for a symbol that resembles an âsâ with an additional curved loop; an image of this symbol is also reproduced in Sigerist, âMaÃe und Gewichte in den medizinischen Texten des frühen Mittelaltersâ, 442â3.
This is my approximation for a symbol that looks like a minuscule ârâ or âsâ and âoâ joined together; the symbol does not appear frequently, but is seen Appendix 2, entry 6.4.5; an image of this symbol is also reproduced in Sigerist, âMaÃe und Gewichte in den medizinischen Texten des frühen Mittelaltersâ, 442â3.