Abbreviated Title
The linked document, DGS 004459087, image 439 of 1173, has the abbreviation Mri, with variations of mris and mro in front of several individuals. What title does this abbreviation stand for?
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9Q97-YMFN-KL?i=438&cc=2046915&cat=975783
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That website is a list of common Latin abbreviations! Mro and Mri both appear to be abbreviations for magistro which can be translated as teacher or as civil officer/magistrate!
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Magister (and its various declensions in Latin; here magistro and magistri) is a translation of the Italian maestro which can mean teacher (a magistrate in Italian is usually called a pretore), but its use in Italian civil and church records is less as teacher/magistrate and more of an honorific signifying someone who is a master at their craft (think guilds, with their apprentice / journeyman / master levels). In civil records you will see the title Maestro but the profession of the individual will be a carpenter, bricklayer, etc.
See https://www.dizionario-italiano.it/dizionario-italiano.php?parola=maestro
For example, note marriage #9 (Calogero Marretta and Anna Siragusa). The bride is daughter of Maestro Santo (who is the son of deceased Maestro Antonino). In the civil record, while the bride's father is not given the Maestro title, you can see that he is a carpenter (falegname). https://antenati.cultura.gov.it/ark:/12657/an_ua967068/5KXxWB7
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Vinny. Thanks for the info. One other unique word usage I'm trying to figure out is the use of qdm (quondam) vs defuncti - both of which appear in this marriage record. Is there a reason to use one vs. the other in certain circumstances?
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