a name generally given to a collection of the papers read before literary or philosophical societies. The name of Philosophical Transactions was first adopted by the Royal Society of London.

The Philosophical Transactions to the end of the year 1700 were abridged in three volumes by Mr John Lowthorp: those from the year 1700 to 1720 were abridged in two volumes by Mr Henry Jones: those from 1719 to 1733 were abridged in two volumes by Mr John Eames and Mr John Martyn; Mr Martyn continued the abridgment of those from 1732 to 1744 in two volumes, and of those from 1743 to 1750 in two volumes.

They were for many years published in numbers, and the printing of them was always, from time to time, the single act of the respective secretaries, till the year 1752, when the society thought fit that a committee should be appointed to reconsider the papers read before them, and to select out of them such as they should judge most proper for publication in the future Transactions. They are published annually in two parts at the expense of the society, and each fellow is entitled to receive one copy gratis of every volume published after his admission into the society.

They were first set on foot in 1665, by Mr Oldenburg, secretary of the society, and were continued by him till the year 1677. Upon his death, they were discontinued till January 1678, when Dr Grew resumed the publication of them, and continued it for the months of December 1678, and January and February 1679, after which they were interrupted till January 1683. During this last interval they were supplied in some measure by Dr Hooke's Philosophical Collections. They were also interrupted for three years, from December 1687 to January 1691, beside other smaller interruptions, amounting to near one year and a half more, before October 1695, since which time the Transactions have been regularly carried on.