Dreyer's Descriptions in the NGC and IC Catalogs

     Ab              about
     alm             almost
     am              among
     app             appended
     att             attached

     b               brighter
     be              between
     biN             binuclear
     bn              brightest towards the north side
     bs              brightest towards the south side
     bp              brightest towards the preceding side
     bf              brightest towards the following side
     B               bright

     c               considerably
     ch              chevelure
     co              coarse, coarsely
     com             cometic
     cont            in contact
     C               compressed
     C.G.H.          Cape of Good Hope
     Cl              cluster

     d               diameter
     def             defined
     dif             diffused
     diffic          difficult
     dist            distance or distant
     D               double

     e               extremely, excessively
     ee              most extremely
     er              easily resolvable
     exc             excentric
     E               extended

     f               following
     F               faint

     g               gradually
     gr              group

     i               irregular
     inv             involved,involving
     iF              irregular figure

     l               little,long
     L               large

     m               much
     mm              mixed magnitudes
     mn              milky nebulosity
     M               middle, or in the middle

     n               north
     neb             nebula
     nf              north following
     np              north preceding
     nr              near
     N               Nucleus, or to a Nucleus

     p               pretty (before F,B,L,S)
     p               preceding
     pg              pretty gradually
     pm              pretty much
     ps              pretty suddenly
     P               poor

     quad            quadrilateral
     quar            quartile

     r               resolvable (mottled,not resolved)
     rr              partially relolved, some stars seen
     rrr             well resolved, clearly consisting of stars
     R               round
     RR              exactly round
     Ri              rich

     s               suddenly
     s               south
     sp              south preceding
     sf              south following
     sc              scattered
     st              stars
     sev             several
     susp            suspected
     sh              shaped
     stell           stellar
     S               small
     sm              smaller

     triN            trinuclear
     trap            trapezium

     v               very
     vv              very, very
     var             variable

     *               a star: *10, a star of 10th magnitude
     **              double star
     ***             triple star
     !               remarkable
     !!              very remarkable
     !!!             a magnificent or otherwise interesting object

     st 9            stars from the 9th magnitude downwards
     st 9 13         stars from the 9th to 13th magnitude

• Bill Arnett's NGC page gives a full account of the NGC Description Code
• Dreyer's NGC Introduction (presented by the NGC/IC Project) gives Dreyer's original list explaining these abbrevations