Lexicology or Lexicography Question

Factual Questions
1

I venture out my usual forum haunts in MPSIMS and IMHO to ask an actual factual question. And one minor one.

I just finished the book Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose. It is about the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the early 1800’s here in the USA.

First question:
With the author quoting various writings/journals/correspondence from the period in the book I noticed something that peaked my curiosity.
Let me show an example:
“quote quote. And quote &c.”
or
“quote text and text, text &c &. Text text…”

I can understand the text part, even given the various misspellings, which seem to be mostly phonetic.
However, I am wondering about the use of ‘&c’ and ‘&’ inside the quotes.
What do these (&c, &) symbolize is my main question.

Second question:
This inquiry would be regarded to modern day.
Am I asking for Lexicology or Lexicography advice here?
Color me confused.

2

Could the mods kindly change the 3rd word in the title to Lexicography please. My cut and paste failed me.

3

& = et - which is latin for “and”
&c = etc. = et cetera - which is latin for “and so forth” or “and the rest”

4

I’d say lexicology. Lexicography is what someone compiling a dictionary is doing.

5

I had the feeling that it might mean et cetera but wasn’t sure. And your post above is much appreciated also.

6

I take it that if I was asking a question such as this, I would ask “What is the lexicology of this?”, and if I were interested in submitting a new word to some dictionary I would say “Here is a newly discovered word, please check your lexicography and see if it it already there?”.

Pardon my ignorance as American English is my second and only language.

7

What, you don’t have a first language first? :smiley:

8

Well said. A fine turn of phrase from somebody pretending to be no good at it.

9

The symbol & is called the ampersand. Its name means, literally, “and per se and” – in other words, “& as a thing unto itself meaning ‘and’”.