Common Abbreviations
Updated November 30, 2022 |
Infoplease Staff
This table provides some comon abbreviations and their meanings. Notice that many abbreviations only differ by a capitalization or punctuation, which can be perplexing! This table willl ensure you will no longer confuse GMT (Greenwich mean time) with GDP (gross national product), or SEC (Securities Exchange Commission) with sec (seconds). And be sure to check out our guide to state abbreviations so you can finally determine whether MO stands for Montana or Missouri!
| A.B. | Artium Baccalaureus [Bachelor of Arts] |
| abbr. | abbreviation(s), abbreviated |
| Acad. | Academy |
| A.D. | anno Domini [in the year of the Lord] |
| alt. | altitude |
| A.M. | ante meridiem [before noon]; Artium Magister [Master of Arts] |
| AM | amplitude modulation |
| Assn. | Association |
| at. no. | atomic number |
| at. wt. | atomic weight |
| Aug. | August |
| Ave. | Avenue |
| AWOL | absent without leave |
| b. | born, born in |
| B.A. | Bachelor of Arts |
| B.C. | Before Christ |
| b.p. | boiling point |
| B.S. | Bachelor of Science |
| Btu | British thermal unit(s) |
| C | Celsius (centigrade) |
| c. | circa [about] |
| cal | calorie(s) |
| Capt. | Captain |
| cent. | century, centuries |
| cm | centimeter(s) |
| co. | county |
| Col. | Colonel; Colossians |
| Comdr. | Commander |
| Corp. | Corporation |
| Cpl. | Corporal |
| cu | cubic |
| d. | died, died in |
| D.C. | District of Columbia |
| Dec. | December |
| dept. | department |
| dist. | district |
| div. | division |
| Dr. | doctor |
| E | east, eastern |
| ed. | edited, edition, editor(s) |
| est. | established; estimated |
| et al. | et alii [and others] |
| F | Fahrenheit |
| Feb. | February |
| fl. | floruit [flourished] |
| fl oz | fluid ounce(s) |
| FM | frequency modulation |
| ft | foot, feet |
| gal. | gallon(s) |
| Gen. | General, Genesis |
| GMT | Greenwich mean time |
| GNP | gross national product |
| GOP | Grand Old Party (Republican Party) |
| Gov. | governor |
| grad. | graduated, graduated at |
| H | hour(s) |
| Hon. | the Honorable |
| hr | hour(s) |
| i.e. | id est [that is] |
| in. | inch(es) |
| inc. | incorporated |
| Inst. | Institute, Institution |
| IRA | Irish Republican Army |
| IRS | Internal Revenue Service |
| Jan. | January |
| Jr. | Junior |
| K | Kelvin |
| kg | kilogram(s) |
| km | kilometer(s) |
| £ | libra [pound], librae [pounds] |
| lat. | latitude |
| lb | libra [pound], librae [pounds] |
| Lib. | Library |
| long. | longitude |
| Lt. | Lieutenant |
| Ltd. | Limited |
| m | meter(s) |
| M | minute(s) |
| M.D. | Medicinae Doctor [Doctor of Medicine] |
| mg | milligram(s) |
| mi | mile(s) |
| min | minute(s) |
| mm | millimeter(s) |
| mph | miles per hour |
| Mr. | Mister (always abbreviated) |
| Mrs. | Mistress (always abbreviated) |
| Msgr | Monsignor |
| mt. | Mount, Mountain |
| mts. | mountains |
| Mus. | Museum |
| N | north; Newton(s) |
| NAACP | National Association for the Advancement of Colored People |
| NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
| NE | northeast |
| no. | number |
| Nov. | November |
| OAS | Organization of American States |
| Oct. | October |
| Op. | Opus [work] |
| oz | ounce(s) |
| pl. | plural |
| pop. | population |
| pseud. | pseudonym |
| pt. | part(s) |
| pt | pint(s) |
| pub. | published; publisher |
| qt | quart(s) |
| Rev. | Revelation; the Reverend |
| rev. | revised |
| R.N. | registered nurse |
| rpm | revolution(s) per minute |
| RR | railroad |
| S | south |
| S | second(s) |
| SEATO | Southeast Asia Treaty Organization |
| SEC | Securities and Exchange Commission |
| sec | second(s); secant |
| Sept. | September |
| Ser. | Series |
| Sgt. | Sergeant |
| sq | square |
| Sr. | Senior |
| SSR | Soviet Socialist Republic |
| St. | Saint; Street |
| UNICEF | United Nations Children's Fund |
| uninc. | unincorporated |
| Univ. | University |
| U.S. | United States |
| USA | United States Army |
| USAF | United States Air Force |
| USCG | United States Coast Guard |
| USMC | United States Marine Corps |
| USN | United States Navy |
| USSR | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics |
| VFW | Veterans of Foreign Wars |
| VISTA | Volunteers in Service to America |
| vol. | volume(s) |
| vs. | versus |
| W | west; watt(s) |
| WHO | World Health Organization |
| wt. | weight |
| yd | yard(s) |
| YMCA | Young Men's Christian Association |
| YWCA | Young Women's Christian Association |
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