English Abbreviations
English abbreviations are used throughout the the English language.
Abbreviations are shortened forms of words or phrases. They are commonly used in English in various contexts, including in written communication, on the internet, and in spoken language.
The word abbreviation is long word for what it actually means, and is itself often written abbreviated as abbr.
You'll find English abbreviations in almost every discipline and area of life, from commonly used abbreviations in names or titles, such as Mr. for Mister and Pres. for President.
There are two types of abbreviations.
An acronym is a new word created from the initial letters of a long name or phrase, for example, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
An initialism is where a long phrase is abbreviated to its initial letters but the letters are pronounced individually, not spoken as a word. For example, FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), and pronounced ef bee i. An initialism is considered to be a type of acronym. U.S.A. is itself an abbreviation, as are the shortened forms of the 50 states, like NY for New York and CA for California.
The most commonly used abbreviations in English are e.g. (exempli gratia) which means for example and etc. (et cetera) which means and similar, both sharing their origins in Latin.
It is important to note that some abbreviations have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used, and some may have different meanings in different parts of the English-speaking world. It is also important to use abbreviations appropriately and not overuse them, as they can be confusing or difficult to understand for people who are not familiar with them.
Abbreviations for Everyday Use
approx. approximately
appt. appointment
apt. apartment
A.S.A.P. as soon as possible
B.Y.O.B. bring your own bottle
c/o in care of, used when sending mail to someone who's not at their usual address
dept. department
D.I.Y. - do it yourself
est. established
E.T.A. estimated time of arrival
min. minute or minimum
misc. miscellaneous
no. number
R.S.V.P. Répondez, s'il vous plait, originates from French meaning please reply. It's used on invitations to parties and events and is intended (as it says) to be responded to with a yes, we will attend, or no, we will not.
tel. telephone
temp. temperature or temporary
vet. veteran or veterinarian
vs. versus
Abbreviations for Map Locations
Ave. Avenue
Blvd. Boulevard
Cyn. Canyon
Dr. Drive
Ln. Lane
Rd. Road
St. Street
E - east / N - north / NE - northeast / NW - northwest
S - south / SE - southeast / SW - southwest / W - west
Abbreviations for Academic and Job Titles
BA - Bachelor of Arts
BS - Bachelor of Science
MA - Master of Arts
M.PHIL or MPHIL - Master of Philosophy
JD - Juris Doctor
DC - Doctor of Chiropractic
PA - Personal Assistant
MD - Managing Director
VP - Vice President
SVP - Senior Vice President
EVP - Executive Vice President
CMO - Chief Marketing Officer
CFO - Chief Financial Officer
CEO - Chief Executive Officer
A Few Abbreviations for Social Media, Chat, and Slang
The advent of the Internet brought about a whole new range of abbreviations into our daily lives. For the sake of brevity, our texts, tweets, and chats are now made up of many abbreviations.
ACE - a cool experience
AD - awesome dude
AFAIK - as far as I know
AFK - away from keyboard
ANI - age not important
BRB - be right back
CUL - see you later
CWYL - chat with you later
IIRC - if I remember correctly
IQ - ignorance quotient
LMK - let me know
LOL - laugh out loud
NM - never mind
NP - no problem
ROFL - rolling on the floor laughing
TY - thank you
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