cf.
- Main Entry:
- cf
- Function:
- abbreviation
1 calf
2 [Latin confer, imperative of conferre to compare] compare
Meaning #2 is what I was looking for. Thanks, m-w.com.
Wikipedia was also helpful:
"Cf. is an abbreviation for the Latin-derived (but also modern English) word confer, meaning "compare" or "consult", and is hence used to refer to other material or ideas which may provide auxiliary information or arguments. It is mainly used in scholarly or educated contexts, such as in academic (mainly humanities) or legal texts."
I kinda got that that's what it meant, but I was trying to make it stand for "compare" (the 'f' is invisible as well as silent?!) or "cross-reFerence." So I asked my friend C, and she said, "Oh yeah, I just looked that up the other day."
Oh.
Right.
I can look things up.
2 [Latin confer, imperative of conferre to compare] compare
Meaning #2 is what I was looking for. Thanks, m-w.com.
Wikipedia was also helpful:
"Cf. is an abbreviation for the Latin-derived (but also modern English) word confer, meaning "compare" or "consult", and is hence used to refer to other material or ideas which may provide auxiliary information or arguments. It is mainly used in scholarly or educated contexts, such as in academic (mainly humanities) or legal texts."
I kinda got that that's what it meant, but I was trying to make it stand for "compare" (the 'f' is invisible as well as silent?!) or "cross-reFerence." So I asked my friend C, and she said, "Oh yeah, I just looked that up the other day."
Oh.
Right.
I can look things up.
3 comments:
I prefer the more plebeian "See also..."
Wow, I had ALWAYS wondered why the abbrev. for "cross-reference" was cf! I feel so enlightened!
I always thought it was "C For" example.
But confer makes more sense.
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