# Lexicology or Lexicography Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 13, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lexicology-or-lexicography-question/746051 "2016-02-13T22:11:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lexicology-or-lexicography-question/746051/1 "2016-02-13T22:11:31Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lexicology-or-lexicography-question/746051/2 "2016-02-13T22:18:20Z")
Could the mods kindly change the 3rd word in the title to Lexicography please. My cut and paste failed me. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lexicology-or-lexicography-question/746051/3 "2016-02-13T22:32:45Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > What do these ( **&c, &** ) symbolize is my main question. **&** = _et_ - which is latin for “and” **&c** = _etc._ = _et cetera_ - which is latin for “and so forth” or “and the rest” ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lexicology-or-lexicography-question/746051/4 "2016-02-13T22:40:15Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > Am I asking for Lexicology or Lexicography advice here? I’d say lexicology. Lexicography is what someone compiling a dictionary is doing. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lexicology-or-lexicography-question/746051/5 "2016-02-14T02:58:31Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > **&** = _et_ - which is latin for “and” > **&c** = _etc._ = _et cetera_ - which is latin for “and so forth” or “and the rest” I had the feeling that it might mean et cetera but wasn’t sure. And your post above is much appreciated also. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lexicology-or-lexicography-question/746051/6 "2016-02-14T03:15:14Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lexicology-or-lexicography-question/746051/7 "2016-02-15T04:07:31Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > Pardon my ignorance as American English **is my second and only language**. What, you don’t have a first language first? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lexicology-or-lexicography-question/746051/8 "2016-02-15T17:59:34Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > … Pardon my ignorance as American English is my second and only language. Well said. A fine turn of phrase from somebody pretending to be no good at it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lexicology-or-lexicography-question/746051/9 "2016-02-15T18:17:58Z")
The symbol & is called the ampersand. Its name means, literally, **“and per se and”** – in other words, “& as a thing unto itself meaning ‘and’”.