Scribal macron abbreviation

A bar above a letter standing for a missing n or m.

Also known as: Titulus mark, Nasal bar abbreviation, Overline abbreviation

CulturalHistorical & archaeologicalStandard profile

Meanings

The scribal mark of a horizontal bar over a letter, standing for an omitted nasal consonant.

Historically documentedVerified fact
Stands for an omitted n or m in a Latin manuscript hand.
Contexts: Language and transcription, History
Historically documentedVerified fact
Is the commonest abbreviation in Latin manuscripts, so a page with no bars over its letters is either very late or very formal.
Contexts: Language and transcription, History

A short horizontal bar drawn above a letter or across a whole word.

IdentityModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Scribal abbreviation and palaeographic marks
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-25
Tertiary reference for the abbreviation marks of Latin manuscript hands, used for a mark's identity, its form and what it stood for. Expansion of an abbreviation is often contextual and sometimes contested; records say so where a reading is not settled.

Last reviewed 2026-08-25

Meanings

The scribal mark of a horizontal bar over a letter, standing for an omitted nasal consonant.

Historically documentedVerified fact

Stands for an omitted n or m in a Latin manuscript hand.

Historically documentedVerified fact

Is the commonest abbreviation in Latin manuscripts, so a page with no bars over its letters is either very late or very formal.

Confidence

IdentityModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

Scribal abbreviation and palaeographic marks
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-25
Tertiary reference for the abbreviation marks of Latin manuscript hands, used for a mark's identity, its form and what it stood for. Expansion of an abbreviation is often contextual and sometimes contested; records say so where a reading is not settled.

Last reviewed 2026-08-25