ff.

See also: ff, fF, ﬀ, FF, and ␌

English

Etymology

Abbreviation of Latin foliō (“on the (next) page”), ablative of folium (“leaf, page”).

Phrase

ff.

and the following (pages, paragraphs etc.)

Usage notes

The abbreviation ff. is used in citation to refer to a section for which no final page number can usefully be given. If there is only a single section following, f. may be used instead.
More properly, it is still used, as originally, to refer to the next page or pages in a citation. As such, Hornblower 258 f. would refer to pages 258–259, whereas 258 ff. would refer to an undetermined number of pages following page 258.

Synonyms

et seq.

Related terms

f.

Translations

and the following

Catalan: s. (ca) (p. 3 s., p. 3s. - pàgina 3 i següents)
Danish: ff.
Finnish: ja seur.
French: et ss. pl (et suivantes), (p. 3 et ss. - page 3 et suivantes), s. (fr) pl (page x et suivantes)
German: ff. (de)
Greek: κ.εξ. (k.ex.)
Lingala: el. (eso landa)
Spanish: ss. (p. 3 y ss., p. 3 ss. - página 3 y siguientes), y sigs. f pl
Swedish: ff. (sv)
Turkish: vd. (tr) pl

Danish

Phrase

ff.

ff. (and the following pages)

German

Etymology

Originally the plural of the abbreviation of New Latin foliō (“on the (next) page”), ablative of folium (“leaf, page”). Later also explained as an abbreviation of folgende.

Pronunciation

Audio: (file)

Adjective

ff. (indeclinable)

(of pages) Abbreviation of folgende(n) pl (“following”, “subsequent”); akin to English ff., et seqq.. (The word fortfolgend has been coined as a folk-etymological explanation of this abbreviation and is not commonly encountered in other use than this fanciful explanation, which is in fact a backronym.)
- 1926–8, Leumann–Hofmann–Szantyr, Lateinische Grammatik I: Lateinische Laut- und Formenlehre (2nd ed., 1977), Formenlehre Nomen II.B, § 273:1.d, page 290:
  Lit. zu den Gentilicia (aus Patronymika): Schulze, EN 385 f. -eius, 432 ff. -eius (bei etrusk. Namenstämmen älter noch -aeus), 457 f. -eius und -uleius; dazu 284 lēguleius sterteius.
  Literature pertaining to nomina gentilicia (from patronyms): Schulze, EN 385 f. -eius, 432 ff. -eius (older still in Etruscan name stems -aeus), 457 f. -eius and -uleius; as in 284 lēguleius sterteius.