A siglum is a scribal abbreviation which uses a single symbol to replace a word or an entire common phrase while transcribing text or taking dictation. The ampersand is the most common modern siglum, as well as the oldest punctuation mark in the English language, surviving from its origins as Latin et.
Shorthand is an entire transcription code consisting of sigla. Grade-2 Braille makes extensive use of sigla, in a consistent (if not quite universal) manner, and Grade-3 Braille is any of several types of Braille shorthand which forego the use of fully-transcribed words almost completely, relying mostly on a siglum for each word or phrase.
Classical Latin made much use of sigla for individual personal names, such as M. for Marcus and G. for Gaius. This also happens in some older English writings, with W. standing for William. American Sign Language usually represents a person's entire name with a single sign involving some distinguishing feature they possess, once they have been introduced; this could be considered a "manual siglum."
The modern symbols for various currencies, such as the British Pound and the US Dollar, are sigla.
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