paraphs

Meanings

1. 1nounpluralrare

   Flourishes or marks added beneath a signature, historically to make it harder to copy.

   Grammar: The plural of paraph; used for several such marks.

   Patterns

   • paraphs under a signature
   • signed with paraphs

   The clerk's paraphs under each signature were part of the old record system.

   Historians study the paraphs on medieval charters.

   His signature ended in elaborate paraphs that nobody could copy.

2. 2nounpluralrareformal

   Short initials or marks put on a page or document to show it was checked or approved.

   Grammar: Often appears on each page of a long contract.

   Patterns

   • paraphs on a document

   The notary asked them to add paraphs to every page of the deed.

   Small paraphs in the margin showed which clauses had been read.

   In some countries, parties place their paraphs at the bottom of each page.

Word forms

Common combinations

add paraphs

Please add your paraphs to each page of the contract.

signatures and paraphs

The papers carried signatures and paraphs from both sides.

elaborate paraphs

The scribe finished his name with elaborate paraphs.

initial and paraph

Clerks would initial and paraph the last line.

Synonyms and how they differ

flourishes

Flourishes describes decorative strokes in general, not necessarily on signatures.

initials

Initials are simple letters, while a paraph can be any mark or squiggle.

squiggles

Squiggles is informal and can be a joking way to describe paraphs.

Word family

paraph noun

a flourish under a signature

paraphed adjective

marked with a paraph

signature noun

a person's name written by hand

initial verb

to mark with your first letters

Commonly confused: paraphs or paraphrase?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “paraphs”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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