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When my husband signs his name, he begins by writing the initial letter of his first name (who doesn't?). But then, he makes a sort of diagonal, fancy line that ends up acting as almost a base for the remaining letters. His is not the first signature I've seen executed in such a manner.

paraph
noun
A flourish made after or below a signature, originally to prevent forgery.
[French paraphe, from Old French paraffe, abbreviated signature, from Medieval Latin paraphus]
"paraph." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 09 Nov. 2005. http://www.answers.com/topic/paraph