' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

for ' ignedwith one's own hand'), abbreviated to ''m.p.'' or ''mppr.'' or ''mppria'' is a phrase sometimes used at the end of typewritten or printed documents when there is no handwritten

signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

. It is typically found just after the name(s) of the person(s) who would have signed the document if it had not been printed or typewritten. It is also found in several ancient documents in front of or after the writer's signature at the end of the document.

History

;Medieval period Richly decorated ''manu propria'' signs were frequently used by

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

dignitaries and literates to verify the authenticity of handwritten documents. ;18th century ''mppria'' was commonly used in the 18th century. However, it was not only used for Latin documents. *Full autograph title-page of Symphony no.97 by

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have le ...

which reads 'Sinfonia in C/di me giuseppe Haydn mppria.

\overline

' * Nobility Diploma André Falquet ;From the 19th century Later, official documents were routinely accompanied with this abbreviation, for example the declaration of war on Serbia by Emperor

Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

from 1914 ends with ''m.p.''

Usage today

Ordinary personal

cheque A cheque, or check (American English; see spelling differences) is a document that orders a bank (or credit union) to pay a specific amount of money from a person's account to the person in whose name the cheque has been issued. The pers ...

s frequently include the abbreviation at the end of the signature line. ;By country Some of the countries that still regularly use ''manu propria'' include: *

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and share ...

in official documents: ''d.v.'' (), *

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

: ''e. h.'' (), *the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

: ''v. r.'' () or occasionally the Latin abbreviation ''m.p.'', *

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

: ''gez.'' ()See ''Oxford Duden German Dictionary'', 1990, p.337 *

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

in official documents: ''s.k.'' (), *

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

: ''v. r.'' (), *

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

: ''l.r.'' (). *Serbia: ''s.r.'' ()

References

{{Reflist Latin literary phrases Latin words and phrases Authentication methods Identity documents Writing

History

Usage today

See also

References