Postscript

For other uses, see Postscript (disambiguation).

A postscript, abbreviated P.S., is writing added after the main body of a letter (or other body of writing). The term comes from the Latin post scriptum, an expression meaning "written after" (which may be interpreted in the sense of "that which comes after the writing").

A postscript may be a sentence, a paragraph, or occasionally many paragraphs added, often hastily and incidentally, after the signature of a letter or (sometimes) the main body of an essay or book. In a book or essay, a more carefully-composed addition (e.g., for a second edition) is called an afterword. An afterword, not usually called a postscript, is written in response to critical remarks on the first edition. The word "postscript" has, poetically, been used to refer to any sort of addendum to some main work, even if not attached to a main work, as in Søren Kierkegaard's book titled Concluding Unscientific Postscript. In the new digital age the term PS can also be used as a By The Way (BTW) of sorts into a conversation without using a segue in the body of a letter.

Sometimes, when additional points are made after the first postscript, abbreviations such as PPS (post-postscript) and PPPS (post-post-postscript) are used, though only PPS has somewhat common usage.

Usage

The Oxford English Dictionary lists PS as the correct abbreviation.

See also

• Publishing
• Afterword
• Appendix
• Addendum
• Nota bene
• P.S. I Love You, a list of media using "P.S." in the title