English Abbreviations A–Z

Browse English abbreviations and their meanings, from common everyday terms to specialist, academic and professional abbreviations. Use the search field or jump to a letter.

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Some abbreviations have different meanings depending on the country or context. The dictionary also includes historical and specialist terms.

Letter A

Abbreviation	Meaning
a	at; to, in algebra, known quantity, constant
A1	first class
A	acre, America, American, April, argon
A	angstrom unit
AA	Alcoholics Anonymous, Associate of Arts, anti-aircraft
AAA	Agricultural Adjustment Administration, Amateur Athletic Association, American Automobile Association
AAAL	American Academy of Arts and Letters
AAAS	American Association for the Advancement Science
AAG	Assistant Adjutant General
A and M	agricultural and mechanical, ancient and modern
AAR	against all risks
AAU	Amateur Athletic Union
AAUP	American Association of University Professors
AAUW	American Association of University Women
AB	able-bodied seaman, airman basic. Alberta. [atriumbaccalaureus] bachelor of arts
ABA	American Bankers Association, American Bar Association, American Basketball Association, American Booksellers Association
abbr	abbreviation
ABC	American Bowling Congress, American Broadcasting Company, Australian Broadcasting Company
ABCD	accelerated business collection and delivery
abd, abdom	abdomen, abdominal
abl	ablative
abn	airborne
abp	archbishop
abr	abridged, abridgment
abs	Absolute, abstract
ABS	American Bible Society
abstr	abstract
abt	about
ac	account, acre
Ac	actinium
AC	air-conditioning, alternating current, (ante Christum) before Christ
acad	academic, academy
AC and U	Association of Colleges and Universities
acc	accusative
accel	accelerando
acct	account, accountant
accus	accusative
ACE	American Council on Education
ack	acknowledge, acknowledgment
ACLU	American Civil Liberties Union
ACP	American College of Physicians
acpt	acceptance
ACS	American Chemical Society, American College of Surgeons
act	active, actor, actual ACT American College Test, Association of Classroom Teachers, Australian Capital Territory
actg	acting
ACW	alternating continuous waves
AD	active duty, after date, (anno domini) in the year of our Lord
ad	advertisement
ADA	American Dental Association, average daily attendance
ADC	aide-de-camp. Air Defense Command
ADD	American Dialect Dictionary
addn	addition
addnl	additional
ADF	automatic direction finder
ADH	antidiuretic hormone
ad inf	to infinity (ad infinitum)
ad int	ad interim
ADIZ	air defense identification zone
adj	adjective, adjunct, adjustment, adjutant
ad loc	[ad locum] to or at the place
adm	administration, administrative
admin	administration
admrx	administratrix
ADP	automatic data processing
adv	advert, (adversus) against
ad val	ad valorem
advt	advertisement
AEC	Atomic Energy Commission
AEF	Atomic Energy Commission
AEF	American Expeditionary Force
aeq	(aequalis) equal
aero	aeronautical, aeronautics
aet or aetat	(aetatis) of age, aged
af	affix
AF	air force, audio frequency
Af	Africa, African
AFB	air force base
AFBS	American and Foreign Bible Society
AFC	American Football Conference, automatic frequency control
aff	affirmative
afft	affidavit
AFL	American Football League, American Federation of Labor
AFL-CIO	American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations
aft	afternoon
AFT	American Federation of Teachers, automatic fine tuning
AFTRA	American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
Ag	(L. argentum) silver
AG	adjutant general, attorney general
agcy	agency
AGR	advanced gas-cooled reactor
agr or agric	agricultural, agriculture
agt	agent
AHC	Army Hospital Corps
AHL	American Hockey League
AI	ad interim, artificial insemination, artificial intelligence
AIA	Associate of the Institute of Actuaries
AID	Agency for International Development
AIDS	acquired immune (or immuno-) deficiency syndrome
AIM	American Indian Movement
AIME	American Institute of Mining Engineers, Associate of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers
AK	Alaska
aka	also known as
AKC	American Kennel Club
AI	aluminium
AL	Alabama, American League, American Legion
Ala	Alabama
ALA	American Library Association
alc	alcohol
alk	alkaline
allo	allegro
alt	alternate, altitude
Alta	Alberta
alw	allowance
Am	America, American, americium
AM	(ante meridiem) before midday, (artium magister) master of arts
AMA	American Medical Association
AMD	Army Medical Department
Amer	America, American
Amer Ind	American Indian
Amn	airman
amp	ampere
amp hr	ampere-hour
AMS	Agricultural Marketing Service, Army Medical Staff
amnt	amount
AMU	atomic mass unit
AMVETS	American Veteran (of World :
AN	airman (Navy)
ANA	American Newspaper. Association, American Nurses Association
anat	anatomical, anatomy
ANC	Army Nurse Corps
Angl	Anglican
anhyd	anhydrous
ann	annals, annual
anon	anonymous
ANOVA	analysis of variance
AO	account of
AP	additional premium, antipersonnel, Associated Press, author's proof
APB	all points bulletin
APC	armored personnel carrier
API	air position indicator
APO	army post office
appl	applied
approx	approximate, approximately
appt	appoint, appointed, appointment
apptd	appointed
Apr	April
APR	annual percentage rate
apt	apartment, aptitude
aq	aqua, aqueous
Ar	argon
AR	accounts receivable, acknowledgement of receipt, all risks, Arkansas
ARC	American Red Cross
arch	archaic, architect, architecture
Arch	Archbishop
arg	argent, argument
arith	arithmetic, arithmetical
Ariz	Arizona
Ark	Arkansas
ARP	air-raid precautions
arr	arranged, arrival, arrive
art	article, artificial
As	arsenic
AS	after sight, American Samoa. Anglo-Saxon
ASA	American Standards Association
ASAP	as soon as possible
asb	asbestos
ASCAP	American Society of Computers, Authors and Publishers
ASCU	Association of State Colleges and Universities
ASF	American Stock Exchange
ASEAN	Association of Southeast Asian Nations
ASI	airspeed indicator
ASL	American Sign Language
ASR	airport surveillance radar, air-sea rescue
assn	association
assoc	associate, associated, association
ASSR	Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
asst	assitant
Assyr	Assyrian
ATS	American Tract Society, American Temperance Society
astrol	astrologer, astrology
astron	astronomer, astronomy
ASV	American Standard Version
Atl	Atlantic
atm	atmosphere, atmospheric
attn	attention
atrib	attributive, attributively
AUA	American Unitarian Association
Au	[aurum] gold
aud	audit, auditor
Aug	August
Aus	Austria, Austrian, Australia, Australian
AUS	Army of the United States
Austral	Australia
auth	authentic, authorized
auto	automatic
av	avenue, average, avoirdupois
AV	ad valorem, audiovisual, Authorized Version
AVC	automatic volume control
avdp	avoirdupois
ave	avenue
avg	average
AWACS	airborne warning and control system
AYC	American Youth Congress
AYD	American Youth for Democracy
AZ	Arizona

Letter B

Abbreviation	Meaning
B	boron
Ba	barium
BA	Bachelor of Arts
BAEd	Bachelor of Arts in Education
BAg	Bachelor of Agriculture
bal	balance
B and B	bed-and-breakfast
b and w	black and white
Bapt	Baptist
bar	barometer, barometric
BAr	Bachelor of Architecture
BAS	Bachelor of Agricultural Science, Bachelor of Applied Science
Bart	baronet
BBC	British Broadcasting Corporation
bbl	barrel, barrels
BC	before Christ, British Columbia
BCD	binary-coded decimal
BCh	Bachelor of Chemistry
bcn	beacon
BCSE	Board of Civil Service Examiners
bd ft	board foot
bdl or bdle	bundle
bdrm	bedroom
Be	beryllium
BE	Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Engineering, bill of exchange
BEC	Bureau of Employees' Compensation
BEd	Bachelor of Education
BEF	British Expeditionary Force
beg	begin, beginning
Belg	Belgian, Belgium
BEM	British Empire Medal
BEngr	Bachelor of Engineering
BFA	Bachelor of Fine Arts
BG or B Gen	brigadier general
BH	bill of health
bhd	bulkhead
BHE	Bureau of Higher Education
bhp	bishop
BIA	Bachelor of Industrial Arts, Braille Institute of America, Bureau of Indian Affairs
bib	Bible, biblical
biog	biographer, biographical, biography
biol	biologic, biological, biologist, biology
bk	bank, book
Bk	berkelium
bkg	banking, bookkeeping, breakage
bkgd	background
bks	barracks
bkt	basket, bracket
bl	bale, barrel, block
BL	Bachelor of Law, Bachelor of Letters, bill of lading, breadth/length bldg building
bldg	building
bldr	builder
Blitt or BLit	(baccalaureus litterarum) Bachelor of Letters, Bachelor of Literature
blk	black, block, bulk
blvd	boulevard
BMR	basal metabolic rate
BNDD	Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
BO	back order, body odor, branch office, buyer's option
BOD	biochemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand
bor	borough
bot	botanical, botanist, botany, bottle, bottom, bought
BP	bills payable, blood pressure, blueprint, boiling point
BPD	barrels per day
bpi	bits per inch, bytes per inch
Br	Britain, British, bromine
BR	bills receivable
brig	brigade, brigadier
Brig Gen	brigadier general
Brit	Britain, British
brl	barrel
bro	brother, brothers
bros	brothers
BS	Bachelor of Science, balance sheet, bill of sale, British Standard
BSA	Boy Scouts of America
BSI	British Standards Institution
bskt	basket
Bt	baronet
btry	battery
Btu	British thermal unit
bu	bureau, bushel
bur	bureau
bus	business
BV	Blessed Virgin
BW	bacteriological warfare, biological warfare, black and white
BWI	British West Indies
BYO	bring your own

Letter C

Abbreviation	Meaning
C	carbon
ca	circa
Ca	calcium
CA	California, chartered accountant, chief accountant
CAB	Civil Aeronautics Board
CAD	computer-aided design
CAF	cost and freight
CAGS	Certificate Advanced Graduate Study
CAI	computer-aided instruction, computer-associated instruction
cal	calendar, caliber, calorie, small calorie
Cal	California, large calorie
calc	calculate, calculated
Calif	California
CAM	computer-aided manufacturing
can	canceled, cancellation
Can or Canad	Canada, Canadian
cane	canceled
C and F	cost and freight
C and W	country and western
cap	capacity, capital, capitalize
CAP	Civil Air Patrol
caps	capitals, capsule
Capt	captain
card	cardinal
CAS	certificate of advanced study
cat	catalog, catalyst
cath	cathedral, cathode
CATV	community antenna television
caus	causative
cav	cavalry, cavity
Cb	columbium
CBC	Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
CBD	cash before delivery
CBI	computer-based instruction, Cumulative Book Index
CBS	Columbia Broadcasting System
CBW	chemical and biological warfare
cc	cubic centimeter
CC	carbon copy, chief clerk
CCF	Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (of Canada)
cckw	counterclockwise
CCTV	closed-circuit television
CCU	cardiac care unit, coronary care unit, critical care unit
ccw	counterclockwise
cd	candela
Cd	cadmium
CD	carried down, certificate of deposit, civil defense, (corps diplomatique) diplomatic corps
CDD	certificate of disability for discharge edg commanding
CDR	commander
CDT	central daylight time
Ce	cerium
ce	chemical engineer, civil engineer
CEA	College English Association, Council of Economic Advisors
CED	Committee for Economic Development
cem	cement
cent	centigrade, central, centium, century
Cent	Central
CENTO	Central Treaty Organization
CEO	chief executive officer
CER	conditioned emotional response
cert	certificate, certified
CETA	Comprehensive Employment and Training Act
cf	(confer) compare
Cf	californium
CF	carried forward, cost and freight, cystic fibrosis
CFI	cost, freight, and insurance
cfm	cubic feet per minute
cfs	cubic feet per second
CG	center of gravity, coast guard, commanding general
cg or cgm	centigram
CGT	(Confederation Generate du Travail) GeneralConfederation of Labor
ch	chain, chapter, church
CH	clearinghouse, courthouse, customhouse
chan	channel
chap	chapter
chem	chemical, chemist, chemistry
chg	change, charge
chm	chairman, checkmate
Chmn	chairman
chron	chronicle, chronological, chronology
Ci	curie
CI	certificate of insurance, cost and insurance
CIA	Central Intelligence Agency
CIC	Commander in Chief
CID	Criminal Investigation Department
cie	(compagnie) company
CIF	cost, insurance and freight
C in C	commander in chief
CIP	Cataloging in Publication
cir	circle, circuit, circumference
circ	circular
cit	citation, cited, citizen
civ	civil, civilian
CJ	chief justice
ck	cask, check
cl	centiliter, class
CI	chlorine
CL	center line, civil law, common law
cld	called, cleared
Clev	Cleveland
clin	clinical
clk	clerk
clr	clear, clearance
CLU	chartered life underwriter
cm	centimeter, cumulative
Cm	curium
CMA	certified medical assistant
cmd	command
cmdg	commanding
cmdr	commander
CMg	Companion of the Order of St Michael and ST George
cml	commercial
CMSgt	chief master sergeant
CN	credit note
CNO	chief of naval operations
CNS	central nervous system
co	company, county
Co	cobalt
CO	cash order, Colorado, commanding officer, conscientious objector
c/o	care of
cod	codex
COD	cash on delivery
C of S	chief of staff
col	color, colored, column
col or coll	collateral, college
Col	colionel, Colorado
COL	colonel, cost of living
collat	collateral
colloq	colloquial
Colo	Colorado
comb	combination, combined
comd	command
comdg	commanding
comdr	commander
comdt	commandant
COMECON	Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
coml	commercial
comm	command, commerce, commission, committee, communication
commo	commodore
comp	compare, complex
compd	compound
comr	commissioner
cone	concentrate, concentrated
conf	conference, confidential
Confed	Confederate
cong	congress, congressional
Conn	Connecticut
consol	consolidated
cont	containing, contents, continent, continued
contd	continued
contg	containing
contrib	contribution, contributor
CORE	Congress of Racial Equality
corp	corporal, corporation
corr	correct, corrected, corresponding
cos	cosine
COS	cash on shipment, chief of staff
cp	compare, coupon
CP	candlepower, charter party, communist party
CPA	certified public accountant
CPB	Corporation for Public Broadcasting
CPCU	chartered property and casualty underwriter
cpd	compound
CPFF	cost plus fixed fee
CPI	consumer price index
Cpl	corporal
CPO	chief petty officer
CPOM	master chief petty officer
CPOS	senior chief petty officer
CPS	characters per second, cycle per second
CPT	captain
cpu	central processing unit
Cr	chrome urn
CR	carrier's risk, cathode ray
CRC	Civil Rights Commission
cresc	crescendo
crim	criminal
crit	critical, criticism, criticized
CRT	cathode-ray tube
cryst	crystalline, crystallized
Cs	cesium
CS	capital stock, chief of staff, Christian Science, civil service
C/S	cycles per second
CSA	Confederate States of America
CSC	Civil Service Commission
CSM	command sergeant major
CSO	chief signal officer, chief staff officer
CST	central standard time
ct	carat, cent, count, county, court
CT	central time, certificated teacher, Connecticut
CTC	centralized traffic control
ctf	certificate
ctg or ctge	cartage
ctn	carton
cto	concerto
c to c	center to center
ctr	center, counter
cu	cubic, cumulative
Cu	(cuprum) copper
CU	close-up
cum	cumulative
cur	currency, current
CV	cardiovascular, curriculum vitae
cvt	convertible
cw	clockwise
CW	chemical warfare, chief warrant officer
CWO	cash with order, chief warrant officer
cwt	hundred weight
CY	calendar year
cyl	cylinder
CYO	Catholic Youth Organization
CZ	Canal Zone

Letter D

Abbreviation	Meaning
d	deceased, penny
D	Democrat, deuterium
da	deka-
DA	days after acceptance, deposit account, district attorney
DAB	Dictionary of American Biography
dag	dekagram
dal	dekaliter
dam	dekameter
DAR	Daughters of the American Revolution
dat	dative
DAV	Disabled American Veterans
db	debenture
db or dB	decibel
DB	daybook
DBE	Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
dbl	double
DBMS	data base management system
DC	direct current, District of Columbia
dd	dated, delivered
DD	days after date, demand draft, dishonorable discharge, due date
DDC	Dewey Decimal Classification
DDD	direct distance dialing
DDS	Doctor of Dental Science, Doctor of Dental Surgery
DE	Delaware deb debenture
dec	deceased, declaration, declared, decorative, decrease
Dec	December
def	defendant, defense, deferred, defined, definite
deg	degree
del	delegate, delegation, delete
Del	Delaware
dely	delivery
dem	demonstrative, demurrage
Dem	Democrat, Democratic
Den	Denmark
dent	dental, dentist, dentistry
dep	depart, department, departure, deposit, depot, deputy
dept	department
der or deriv	derivation, derivative
DEW	distant early warning
DF	damage free, direction finder
DFC	Distinguished Flying Cross
DFM	Distinguished Flying Medal
dft	defendant, draft
dg	decigram
DG	director general, (Deigratia) by the grace of God
dia	diameter
diag	diagonal, diagram dial dialect
diam	diameter diet dictionary
dim	diminutive
dip	diploma
dir	director
disc	discount
dist	distance, district
distr	distribute, distribution
div	dividend, division
DJ	disc jockey, district judge, Doctor of Jurisprudence
DJIA	Dow-Jones Industrial Average
dkg	dekagram
dkl	dekaliter
dkm	dekameter
dl	deciliter
DLitt or DLit	( doctor litterarum ) Doctor of Letters, Doctor of Literature
DLO	dead letter office, dispatch loading only
dm	decimeter
DM	deutsche Mark
DMZ	demilitarized zone
dn	down
DNB	Dictionary of National Biography
do	ditto
DOA	dead on arrival
DOB	date of birth
doc	document
DOD	Department of Defense
DOE	Department of Energy
dol	dollar
DOM	( Deo optimo maxima ) to God, the best and the greatest
DOS	disk operating system
DOT	Department of Transportation
doz	dozen
DP	data processing, dew point
DPH	department of public health
dr	dram
Dr	doctor
DR	dead reckoning
DSM	Distinguished Service Medal
DSO	Distinguished Service Order
DSP	(decessit sine prole) died without issue
DST	daylight time, double time
dup	duplex, duplicate
DV	( Deo volente ) God willing
DVM	Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
DW	deadweight
dwt	deadweight ton, pennyweight
DX	distance
dy	delivery, deputy, duty
Dy	dysprosium
dynam	dynamics

Letter E

Abbreviation	Meaning
ea	each
E	Earl, Easter, English
E and OE	errors and omissions excepted
EB	eastbound
eccl	ecclesiastic, ecclesiastical
ECG	electrocardiogram
ECM	European Common Market
ecol	ecological, ecology
econ	economics, economist, economy
ed	edited, edition, editor, education
EDP	electronic data processing
EDT	eastern daylight time
educ	education, educational
EEC	European Economic Community
EEG	electroencephalogram, electroencephalograph
EENT	eye, ear, nose, and throat
EEO	equal employment opportunity
eff	efficiency
EFT or EFTS	electronic funds transfer (system)
eg	(exempli gratia) for example
EHF	extremely high frequency
EHP	effective horsepower, electric horsepower
EHV	extra high voltage
elec	electric, electrical, electricity
elem	elementary
elev	elevation
ELF	extremely low frequency
ELSS	extravehicular life support system
EM	electromagnetic, electron microscope
emer	emeritus
emf	electromotive force
emp	emperor, empress
enc or encl	enclosure
ENE	east-northeast
eng	engine, engineer, engineering
Eng	England, English
ENS	ensign
env	envelope
EO	executive order
EOM	end of month
EP	extended play
EPA	Environmental Protection Agency
eq	equal, equation
equip	equipment
equiv	equivalency, equivalent
Er	erbium
Es	einsteinium
ESE	east-southeast
ESL	English as a second language
esp	especially
Esq	esquire
est	established, estimate, estimated
EST	eastern standard time
esu	electrostatic unit
ESV	earth satellite vehicle
ET	eastern time, extra-terrestrial
ETA	estimated time of arrival
et al	et alii ( masc. ), et aliae ( fem. ) or et alia (neut.) and others
etc	et cetera, and the rest
ETD	estimated time of departure
ETO	European theater of operations
et seq	(et sequens) and the following one
et ux	(et uxor) and wife
Eu	europium
Eur	Europe, European
EVA	extravehicular activity
ex	example, exchange, excluding, executive, express, extra
exch	exchange, exchanged
exec	executive
exhbn	exhibition
exor	executor
expy	expressway
ext	extension, exterior, external

Letter F

Abbreviation	Meaning
f	Fahrenheit, farad, faraday, and the following one
F	fluorine
FA	field artillery, fielding average, football association
FAA	Federal Aviation Administration, free of all average
fac	facsimile, faculty
FADM	fleet admiral
fam	familiar, family
F and A	fore and aft
FAO	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FAQ	fair average quality far farthing
FAS	free alongside ship
fath	fathom
FBI	Federal Bureau of Investigation
FCA	Farm Credit Administration
FCC	Federal Communications Commission
fcp	foolscap
FDA	Food and Drug Administration
FCIC	Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Fe	( ferrum ) iron
Feb	February
fee	( fecit ) he made it
fed	federal, federation
fern	female, feminine
FERA	Federal Emergency Relief Administration
ff	folios, and the following ones, fortissimo
FHA	Federal Housing Administration
fict	fiction, fictitious
FIFO	first in, first out
fig	figurative, figuratively, figure
fin	finance, financial, finish
FIO	free in and out
fir	firkin
fl	florin ( floruit ) flourished
FL	Florida
Fla	Florida
fl oz	fluid ounce
FLSA	Fair Labor Standards Act
fm	fathom
Fm	fermium
FM	field manual
FMB	Federal Maritime Board
FMCS	Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
fn	footnote
fo or fol	folio
FO	foreign office
FOB	free on board
FOC	free of charge
fp	freezing point
FPA	Foreign Press Association, free of particular average
FPC	Federal Power Commission
fps	feet per second, foot-pound-second, frames per second
fr	father, franc, from
Fr	francium
freq	frequency
Fri	Friday
FRS	Federal Reserve System
frt	freight
frwy	freeway
FS	Foreign Service
FSLIC	Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation
FSP	Food Stamp Program
ft	feet, foot
FTC	Federal Trade Commission
fth	fathom
ft lb	foot-pound
fur	furlong
fut	future
fwd	foreword, forward
FWD	front-wheel drive
FX	foreign exchange
FY	fiscal year
FYI	for your information
fz	( forzando, forzato ) accented

Letter G

Abbreviation	Meaning
g	gauge, gold, grain, acceleration of gravity, gram, gravity
Ga	gallium, Georgia
GA	general assembly, general average, Georgia
gal	gallery, gallon
galv	galvanized
GAO	General Accounting Office
gar	garage
GATT	General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
GAW	guaranteed annual wage
gaz	gazette
GB	Great Britain
GCA	ground-controlled approach
GCB	Knight Grand Cross of the Bath
Gd	gadolinium
GDR	German Democratic Republic
Ge	germanium
GE	gilt edges
gen	general, genitive, genus
Gen AF	general of the air force
Gent	gentleman, gentlemen
genl	general
geog	geographic, geographical, geography
geol	geologic, geological, geology
geom	geometric, geometrical, geometry
ger	gerund
GGPA	graduate grade-point average
GHQ	general headquarters
GI	gastrointestinal, general issue, government issue
GM	general manager, grand master, guided missile
GMT	Greenwich mean time
GMW	gram-molecular weight
gn	guinea
GNI	Gross national income
GNP	gross national product
GO	general order
GOP	Grand Old Party (Republican)
gov	government, governor
govt	government gp group
GP	general practice
GPD	gallons per day
GPH	gallons per hour
GPM	gallons per minute
GPO	general post office, Government Printing Office
GPS	gallons per second
gr	grade, grain, gram, gravity, gross
grad	graduate, graduated
gram	grammar, grammatical
gro	gross
gr wt	gross weight
GSA	General Services Administration, Girl Scouts of America
GSC	general staff corps
GSO	general staff officer
GSV	guided space vehicle
GT	gross ton
Gt	Brit Great Britain
gtd	guaranteed
gyn	gynecology

Letter H

Abbreviation	Meaning
ha	hectare
hab	corp habeas corpus
Hb	hemoglobin
he	(honoris causa) for the sake of honor
HC	Holy Communion, House of Commons
HCF	highest common factor
hd	head
HD	heavy duty
hdbk	handbook
He	helium
HE	Her Excellency, His Excellency
HEW	Department of Health, Education and Welfare
hf	half
Hf	hafnium
HF	high frequency
hg	hectogram
Hg	(hydrargyrum) mercury
HH	Her Highness, His Highness, His Holinss
HI	Hawaii
Hind	Hindustani
hist	historian, historical, history
hi	hectoliter
HL	House of Lords
hld	hold
HLS	(hoc loco situs) laid in this place, holograph letter signed
hlt	halt
hm	hectometer
HM	Her Majesty, Her Majesty's, His Majesty, His Majesty's
HMC	Her Majesty's Customs, His Majesty’s Customs
HMS	Her Majesty's ship, His Majesty's ship
HN	head nurse
Ho	holmium
hon	honor, honorable, honorary
hor	horizontal
hort	horticultural, horticulture
hosp	hospital
HP	high pressure, hire purchase, horsepower
HQ	headquarters
hr	hour
HR	House of Representatives
HRH	Her Royal Highness, His Royal Highess
HRIP	here rests in peace
hrzn	horizon
HS	high school
HSGT	high-speed ground transport
HST	Hawaiian standard time
ht	height
HUD	Department of Housing and Urban Development
HV	high velocity, high-voltage
hvy	heavy
HWM	high-water mark
hwy	highway
Hz	hertz

Letter I

Abbreviation	Meaning
Ia or IA	Iowa
IAAF	International Amateur Athletic Federation
IABA	International Amateur Boxing Association
IAEA	International Atomic Energy Agency
OALC	instrument approach and landing chart
IATA	International Air Transport Association
Ib or ibid	ibidem
IBM	intercontinental ballistic missile
IBRD	International Bank for Reconstruction and Delopment
ICA	International Cooperation Administration, International Cooperative Alliance
ICAO	International Civil Aviation Organization
ICBM	intercontinental ballistic missile
ICC	Indian Claims Commission, International Chamber of Commerce, Interstate Commerce Commission
ICFTU	International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
ICJ	International Court of Justice
ICRC	International Committee of the Red Cross
ICU	intensive care unit
id	idem
ID	Idaho, identification
i e	(id est) that is
IFC	International Finance Corporation
IG	inspector general
Il	Illinois
ill	illustrated, illustration, illustrator
IL	Illinois
ilust or illus	illustrated, illustration
ILO	International Labor Organization
ILS	instrument landing system
IMF	International Monetary Fund
imit	imitative
immun	immunity, immunization
imp	imperative, imperfect, import
in	inch
In	Indiom
inc	including, incorporated, increase
incl	including, inclusive
incog	incognito
ind	independent, industrial, industry
Ind	Indian, Indiana
inf	infantry, infinitive
infl	influenced
inq	enquire
INRI	(Jesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum) Jesus of Nazareth
ins	inches, insurance
INS	Immigration and Naturalization Service
intl or intnl	international
intrans	intransitive
in trans	(in transitu) in transit
intsv	intensive
IOC	International Olympic Committee
IPA	International Phonetic Alphabet, International Phonetic Association
ipm	inches per minute
IPPF	International Planned Parenthood Federation
ips	inches per second
iq	(idem quod) the same as
Ir	iridium
IR	infrared, inland revenue, intelligence ratios, internal revenue
IRA	Irish Republican Army
IRBM	intermediate range ballistic missile
irreg	irregular
IRS	Internal Revenue Service
ISBN	International Standard Book Number
ISC	interstate commerce
ISSN	International Standard Serial Number
ital	italic, italicized
ITO	International Trade Organization
IU	international unit
IV	intravenous, intravenously
IWW	Industrial Workers of the World

Letter J

Abbreviation	Meaning
j	joule
JA	joint account, judge advocate
JAG	judge advocate general
Jan	January
Jap	Japan, Japanese
Jav	Javanese
JBS	John Birch Society
JCS	joint chiefs of staff
jct	junction
JD	justice department, juvenile delinquent, (juris doctor) doctor of jurisprudence, doctor of law
JP	justice of the peace
Jr	junior
jt or jnt	joint
jun	junior
Jun	June
junc	junction
juris	jurisprudence
juv	juvenile

Letter K

Abbreviation	Meaning
k	karat, kilogram, king, knight, kopeck, krona, kronor
K	(kalium) potassium, Kelvin
Kan or Kans	Kansas
kb or kbar	kilobar
KB	kilobyte
KC	Kansas City, King's Counsel, Knights of Columbus
kcal	kilocalorie, kilogram calorie
KCB	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
kc/s	kilocycles per second
KD	knocked down
Ken	Kentucky
kg	kilogram
KG	Knight of the Order of the Garter
KGB	(Komitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti) (Soviet) State Security Committee
kHz	kilohertz
KIA	killed in action
KJV	King James Version
KKK	Ku Klux Klan
kl	kiloliter
km	kilometer
KMPS	kilometers per second
kn	knot
K of C	Knights of Columbus
kpfa	kilometers per hour
Kr	Krypton
KS	Kansas
kt	karat, knight
kv	kilovolt
kw	kilowatt
kwhr or kwh	kilowatt-hour
Ky or KY	Kentucky

Letter L

Abbreviation	Meaning
L	lady, lake, land, latitude, law, leaf, league, left, length, liberal, lira, liter, lodge, lord
La	lanthanum, Louisiana
LA	law agent, Los Angeles, Louisiana
Lab	Labrador
lam	laminated
lang	language
lat	latitude
Lat	Latin, Latvia
LAT	local apparent time
lb	(libra) pound
LB	Labrador
lc	lowercase
LC	landing craft, letter of credit, Library of Congress
LCD	lowest common denominator
LCF	lowest common factor
LCJ	Lord Chief Justice
LCM	lowest common multiple
LD	lethal dose
LDC	less developed country
ldg	landing, loading
LDS	Latter-day Saints
lect	lecture, lecturer
leg	legal, legislative, legislation
legis	legislation, legislative, legislature
lex	lexicon lexicog lexicography
LF	low frequency
lg	large, long
LH	left hand
Li	lithium
LI	Long Island
lib	liberal, librarian, theory
lieut	lieutenant
LIFO	last in, first out
lin	lineal, linear
ling	linguistics
liq	liquid, liquor
lit	liter, literal, literally, literary, literature
lith	lithographic, lithography
ll	lines
LL	limited liability
LM	Legion of Merit, lunar module
LMT	local mean time
lndg	landing
LNG	liquefied natural gas
loc cit	(loco citato) in the place cited
LP	low pressure
LPG	liquified petroleum gas
LPGA	Ladies Professional Golf Association
Lr	lawrencium
LS	(locus sigilli) place of the seal
LSS	lifesaving station, life-support system
Lt	lieutenant
LT	long ton
LTC or Lt Col	lieutenant colonel
Lt	Comdr lieutenant commander
ltd	limited
LTG or Lt Gen	lieutenant general
It gov	lieutenant governor
LTJG	lieutenant, junior grade
Lu	lutetium
lub	lubricant, lubricating
LVT	landing vehicle, tracked
LWM	low-water mark
LWV	League of Women Voters
LZ	landing zone

Letter M

Abbreviation	Meaning
MA	Master of Arts
MB	Bachelor of Medicine
MBA	Master of Business Administration
MBO	management buyout
MC	Master of Ceremonies
MD	Doctor of Medicine
MFA	Master of Fine Arts
Mgr	Monseigneur, Monsignor
MP	Member of Parliament
mph	miles per hour
MIA	missing in action
Miss	a title for an unmarried woman
MLR	minimum lending rate
MO	Medical Officer, money order
Mr	Mister
Mrs	Missis
Ms	a title for a woman
MS	multiple sclerosis
MSc (MS in AE )	Master of Science
MVP	Most Valuable Player
MYOB	mind your own business

Letter N

Abbreviation	Meaning
N/A, (NA in AE )	not applicable
NASA	National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NATO	North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NBA	National Basketball Association
NBA	Net Book Agreement
NBC	National Broadcasting Company
NC	no charge
no	number
NPV	net present value
NYC	New York City

Letter O

Abbreviation	Meaning
OAP	old-age pensioner
OCR	optical character recognition
OHP	overhead projector
OM	Order of Merit
OPEC	Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
OTE	on-target earnings

Letter P

Abbreviation	Meaning
p.a.	per annum
PA	personal assistant
PDA	personal digital assistant
PE	Physical Education
PIN	personal identification number
p.m.	post meridiem = after midday
pkt.	packet. / pocket.
PO	postal order
por.	portrait.
pp	pages
PR	public relations
PRO	public relations officer
pt	part, pint
PT	physical training
pto	please turn over
PYO	pick your own

Letter R

Abbreviation	Meaning
RAF	Royal Air Force
R&B	rhythm and blues
RC	Roman Catholic
Rd	road
RDA	recommended daily amount
R&D	research and development
RE	Religious Education
ROFL	Rolling On the Floor Laughing
RP	Received Pronunciation
RSI	repetitive strain injury
RPI	retail price index
RPM	retail price maintenance
RFD	rural free delivery

Letter S

Abbreviation	Meaning
SAD	seasonal affective disorder
SAE	self-addressed envelope
SAYE	save-as-you-earn
S&L	savings and loan (association)
SFO	Serious Fraud Office
SI	Système International
SAT	Scholastic Aptitude Test
St.	street, Saint
Sq.	square

Letter T

Abbreviation	Meaning
tbs/tbsp	tablespooful
TEFL	Teaching of English as a Foreign Language

Letter U

Abbreviation	Meaning
UAE	United Arab Emirates
UB40	unemployment benefit 40
UFO	Unidentified Flying Object
UK	United Kingdom
UN	United Nations
UNESCO	United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
USP	unique selling proposition
UNO	United Nations Organization
USSR	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Letter V

Abbreviation	Meaning
VAT	value added tax
VC	vice-chairman
VCR	video cassette recorder

Letter W

Abbreviation	Meaning
WC	water closet
WHO	World Health Organization
WYSIWYG	what you see is what you get

Letter Y

Abbreviation	Meaning
yd	yard
YMCA	young Men's Christian Association