postscriptum

English

Alternative forms

• post scriptum; postscript
• PS, P.S., p.s., ps.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin postscriptum, from post (“after, behind”) +‎ scrīptum (“text, something written”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌpəʊstˈskɹɪptəm/

Noun

postscriptum (plural postscripta or postscriptums)

1. (rare) A thing that has been written afterwards; something appended in writing.
   • 1820, Humphry Martial , “Sir Jehu Face to Sir Cordovan Bristlemood”, in The Radical Letter-Bag, London: W. Wright, , page 8:

     Meanwhile, I remain—Ever yours, / Jehu Face. / Postscriptums I hate; but I think you had better / Keep snug to yourself the contents of this letter.

   • 1827, M. Corbett, The odd volume, containing a letter purporting to be from King James VI of Scotland to Sandie Fotheringhame, Laird o'Powrie, signed: James, R.

     Postscriptum. — Scotland for ever! The Dane’s beneath the table, and Rab’s on the tap o’t, blawing like the deevil.

   • 1900, Honoré de Balzac, Anatole Cerfberr, La Comédie Humaine: Now for the First Time Completely Translated Into English:

     This confidence so daintily tossed to the baron, in the fashion of a postscriptum, was evidently the compensation for five thousand francs.

   • 1902, The Critic, volume 41, page 369:

     Sometimes she adds short postscriptums, but, though full of her doings and sayings, this correspondence contains but little that is really from Rosa Bonheur’s own pen.

   • 1956, The American Journal of Individual Psychology, volumes 12–13, page 169:

     […] read the mother’s report to the students and pointed out to them how she evidently could not yet believe in a definite change, this being clear from her postscriptums “I know of” and “though with all the Christmas excitement. . . .”

   • 2004, L. G. Aslamazov, A. A. Varlamov, The Wonders Of Physics:

     Postscriptum for taxpayers: After having started with the high-temperature thriller we turned to applications of conventional superconductors.

Usage notes

• Used to indicate a footnote at the end of a letter. Generally abbreviated PS or similar (ps, p.s., etc).
• Addenda following an initial post script are often abbreviated PPS or similar (p.p.s, P.P.S, etc), indicating "post post scriptum".

Translations

Dutch

Etymology

From Latin postscriptum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌpɔstˈskrɪp.tʏm/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

postscriptum n (plural postscriptums or postscripta, diminutive postscriptumpje n)

1. post scriptum

Usage notes

Usually abbreviated as P.S..

French

Etymology

From Latin post scriptum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔst.skʁip.tɔm/, /pos.kʁip.tɔm/
• Homophones: postscriptums, post-scriptum, post-scriptums, post scriptum

Noun

postscriptum m (plural postscriptum or postscriptums)

1. Alternative form of post-scriptum
   • 1872, Joseph II. und Leopold von Toscana. Ihr Briefwechsel von 1781 bis 1790., Vienna: Wilhelm Braumüller, page 326:

     Jusqu’à cette heure j’étais tranquille observateur, et je n’aurais plus rien dit, si le courrier qui vient d’arriver, ne m’eût apporté les lettres ci-jointes de l’Impératrice et les deux postscriptum de Cobentzl qui contiennent des détails très-curieux à ce sujet.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin post scriptum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /postˈskrip.tum/
• Rhymes: -iptum
• Hyphenation: post‧scrìp‧tum

Noun

postscriptum m (invariable)

1. postscript, post scriptum

   Synonym: poscritto

Latin

Verb

postscrīptum

1. accusative supine of postscrībō

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

postscriptum

Wikipedia ^pl

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin postscrīptum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔstˈskrip.tum/
• Rhymes: -iptum
• Syllabification: post‧scrip‧tum

Noun

postscriptum n (abbreviation PS)

1. (library science, literary) postscriptum (annotation at the end of a letter or article used to inform the reader of something loosely related or unrelated to the subject of the letter or article)
2. (library science, literary) postscriptum (series of additional pieces of information given at the end of a programme, speech, or book, or in the form of a separate text, to clarify, supplement, or summarize an earlier message)

Declension

Further reading

• postscriptum in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• postscriptum in Polish dictionaries at PWN