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What are the more common abbreviations one might see printed before or after a person's name, and what do they mean? Please include honorifics (R'=Rabbi) as well as memorial - or prayerful - suffixes (eg., zt"l or shlit"a). I'm particularly interested in some of the lesser known ones that appear quite often, sometimes in connection with famous names and printed in the title page of Sefarim.

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1 –  msh210 Mar 13 '11 at 4:54
Somewhat related: –  msh210 Oct 3 '11 at 1:27
I voted to closed because of this: –  Adam Mosheh Mar 25 '12 at 18:33
@adammosheh It might be polite to look at how long the question has been open and how much participation it has received before acting to initiate a movement to close it. But I might be biased. –  Seth J Mar 25 '12 at 20:20
Related: –  msh210 Jun 25 at 23:04
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2 Answers

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Before a name:

  • ר׳ = rav or rabi or rabenu; "rabbi...".
  • הר׳ = harav; "the rabbi".
  • הר״ר = combination of those two.
  • הרה״ח = harav hechashuv;"the important rabbi", or harav hechassid; "the rabbi and chassid".
  • הרה״ג = harav hagaon; "the genius/esteemed rabbi".
  • הרה"צ = harav hatzaddik; "the righteous rabbi".
  • הרה"ק = harav hakadosh; "the holy rabbi".
  • הרה״ת = harav hatamim; "the tamim rabbi".
  • כ״ק = k'vod k'dushas; "the honor of the holiness of...", (used for chasidic rabbis).
  • אדמו״ר = adonenu morenu (v')rabenu; "our master, teacher, and rabbi", (a Hassidic rebbe, or "grand rabbi").
  • אאמו״ר = avi adoni mori (v')rabi; "my father, master, teacher, and rabbi".
  • מוהר"ר = moreinu v'rabeinu harav rabbi; "our teacher and our rabbi, rabbi...".
  • מו״ר = mori (v')rabi; "my teacher and rabbi".
  • מו״ח = mori (v')chami; "my teacher and father-in-law".
  • מו׳ = morenu; "our teacher" or mori "my teacher".
  • מ׳ = mar; "mister".
  • פ״נ = po nitman or po nikbar; (both) "here lies". (Used on headstones).
  • רשכבה"ג = rabban shel kol b'nei hagolah "rabbi of all the diaspora".
  • ציס"ע = tzaddik yesod olam; "a righteous man, support of the world".
  • סוע"ה = sinai v'oker harim.
  • מנב״ת = minashim ba'ohel tevorach.
  • יבלחט"א or יבלט"א = yibadel l'chaim tovim aruchim; "[to] separate from long, good life". (When writing a deceased child's name, this is written before the father's name, if he is alive; also sometimes used in other instances of mentioning two people of whom one is alive)
  • הג״מ = hagaon moreinu; "the genius, our teacher".
  • עט"ר = ateres roshi; "my head's crown". (Used for a parent, rarely mother.)
  • many on this list preceded by כ = k'vod... "the honor of...".

After a name:

  • יבלחט"א or יבלט"א (as above)
  • שו״ב = shochet uvodek A ritual slaughterer and inspector of the kashrus of animals"
  • דומו״צ, מו״צ (dayan u) moreh tzedek. One who rules on halachic matters.
  • ע״ה1 = alav/aleha hashalom "Peace be upon him/her"
  • ז״ל1 = zichrono/ah livracha "May his/her/their memory be a blessing"
  • זצ״ל1 = zecher tzadik livracha "May the memory of this tzaddik be a blessing"
  • זצוק״ל1 = zecher tzadik v'kadosh livracha
  • זצוקללה״ה1 = zecher tzadik v'kadosh livracha l'chayei ha'olam habah
  • זי״ע(א)1 = z'chuso yagen alenu (amen)
  • מה״מ = melech hamashiach "King Messiah" (Used by people who believe that Rabbi to be Moshiach)
  • נבג״מ1 = nishmaso b'ginze m'romim
  • נ״ע1 = nocho eden or nishmaso eden
  • נ״י2 = nero yair "His candle should light the way"
  • שלי״ט2 = sheyichye l'yamim tovim "That he should live good days"
  • שליט״א2 = sheyichye l'yamim tovim aruchim (or l'orech yamim tovim amen) "That he should live good, long days"
  • שתליט"א2 = shetichye l'(orech) yamim tovim aruchim "That she should live good, long days"
  • סג״ל = s'gan leviyah or s'gan lakohanim (used for a Levi, sometimes as a family name)
  • יצ״ו = yishm'rehu tzuro vichayehu
  • ס"ט = seifeh tav (Sephardic equivalent of נ"י or the like - not sephardi tahor, as is a popular misconception) "May he come to a good end." - see end of this post by Marc Shapiro
  • מ"ה = ma'or hagola "Illuminator of the Diaspora" (Has this ever been applied to anyone but Rabenu Gershom?)
  • ע"ה = eved Hashem; "servant of G-d".
  • נר״ו2= natreih Rachmana u'parkeih; "may g-d preserve and redeem him".
  • הי"ד1 = Hashem yiykom dam(o|a(m|n)) "May G-d avenge his/her/their blood"(Usually used for people who were killed "al kiddush Hashem")
  • בהמח"ס‎ = בעל המחבר ספר (Ba'al HaMehaber Sefer; "author of the (following) book")

1 Only used for people who are deceased.
2 Only used for people who are alive.

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Please edit this, fixing mine and adding more. I've made it a "community wiki" so some users who normally can't edit others' answers can edit it and so I get no reputation (I think) if it's accepted. –  msh210 Mar 13 '11 at 4:56
If anyone is curious about ס"ט and the curious comment about Sephardi Tahor - see here:… –  Seth J Mar 14 '11 at 17:36
@HodofHod IMO yes. –  msh210 Oct 3 '11 at 4:48
@msh210 might as well leave it, as I've seen it appellated on the Internet often enough, r"l. In a century or so we can remove it or come up with a bacronym that places it on the other list below. –  yoel Oct 3 '11 at 14:54
@msh210 you're very right. There is an enormous difference between a heretic who proclaims themselves Moshiach and a tzadik and godol hador whose followers do so, largely posthumously. I was kidding, but I (would like to think I) was kidding about meshichists and if the Lubavitcher Rebbe ztz'l got hit with collateral damage from that there is no limit to my regret. Thank you for calling me out on it. –  yoel Oct 4 '11 at 14:48
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Then, too, we have to deal with some of the derogatory ones. A couple to start with:

י"ש or ימ"ש = yimach shemo

יש"ו = yimach shemam vizichram or yimach shimo vizichro (Great acronym by the way!)

שר"י = shem resha'im yirkav

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+1 for the great acronym! –  HodofHod Oct 3 '11 at 3:00
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