A breviograph is a type of scribal abbreviation

Scribal abbreviation

Scribal abbreviations are the abbreviations used by ancient and mediæval scribes writing in Latin and, later, in Greek and Old Norse...

 in the form of an easily written symbol, character, flourish, or stroke based on a modified letter form used to take the place of a common letter combination, especially those occurring at the beginning or end of a word. Breviographs were used frequently by stenographers, law clerks, and scriveners, and were also found in early printed books and tracts. Their use declined after the 17th century.

See also

• Acronym and initialism
  Acronym and initialism
  Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial components in a phrase or a word. These components may be individual letters or parts of words . There is no universal agreement on the precise definition of the various terms , nor on written usage...
  
  
• Palaeography
  Palaeography
  Palaeography, also spelt paleography is the study of ancient writing. Included in the discipline is the practice of deciphering, reading, and dating historical manuscripts, and the cultural context of writing, including the methods with which writing and books were produced, and the history of...
  
  

• Classical abbreviations
• Medieval abbreviations
• Scribal abbreviations
  Scribal abbreviation
  Scribal abbreviations are the abbreviations used by ancient and mediæval scribes writing in Latin and, later, in Greek and Old Norse...