Common Abbreviations In English

@ at

© copyright

3-D ( three-D) three-dimension

3G third-generation

4G fourth-generation

5G fifth-generation

A level advanced level

A.D. ( AD) in the year of our Lord ( from Latin, Anno Domini)

a.m. (A.M) before noon/ in the morning/ before midday

(from ante meridiem, Lat.)

a/c air conditioning / account

AAA Amateur Athletic Association

abbr. abbreviation

ABM account-based marketing / activity-based management

ABS Animal Behaviour Society

ABS anti-lock braking system / Animal Behaviour Society

AC air conditioning / alternating current

ad advertisement

ADC aide-de-camp ( a personal assistant in the military camp)

ADI Animal Defenders International

ADL Animal Defence League

ads advertisements

Ag Acting

AGM annual general meeting

aka also known as

ALF Animal Liberation Front

AOB any other business

approx approximate/ approximately

APR annual percentage rate

Apr. April

Apt Apartment

arr. arrives / arrival

ASAB Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour

asap as soon as possible

Assoc. Association

Asst Assistant

ATM automated teller machine

attn ( fao) for the attention of

Aug. August

AV audiovisual

AVAR Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights

Ave. (Av.) Avenue

b. born
BC before Christ

bcc blind carbon copy

BCE before the Common Era

Br. British

Brig. Brigadier

bro brother

bt bought

BTW by the way

bus omnibus

c ( ct ) cent

C.E. Common Era

c/o care of

CAPS Captive Animals’ Protection Society

Capt. Captain

cc carbon copy / cubic centimetres

CCTV closed-circuit television

CD compact disc

Cdr Commander

CD-R compact disc recordable

CD-ROM compact disc read-only memory

cent. century

cert. certificate
cf. ( cp. ) compare ( from Latin, confer)

CFI Cruelty Free International

chap. chapter

cl centilitre(s)

Cllr Councillor

cm centimetre(s)

CNN Cable News Network

CO Commanding Officer

Co. Company

COD cash on delivery

col. column

Col. Colonel

cont. (contd) continued

Corp. Corporation

Cpl Corporal

CPU central processing unit

Cr credit / creditor

Ct Court

CV course of life ( curriculum vitae)

d. died

D.O.B. date of birth

D.V. God willing ( from Deo volente)

Dec. December

dep. depart / departure

Dept department

Div. Division

DJ disc jockey

DMC dangerous mechanical condition

DNA deoxyribonucleic acid

do. ditto / the same as above

DOA dead on arrival

DOS disc operating system / Director of Studies

doz. dozen

Dr debtor / Doctor / Drive

DSTV digital satellite television

DVD digital videodisc / digital versatile disc

DVD-A digital versatile disc audio

DVD-R digital versatile disc recordable

DVD-ROM digital versatile disc read-only memory

DVR digital video recorder

DWI driving while intoxicated

E East

e.g. for instance / for example

ea. each
e-book electronic book

e-card electronic card

e-cash electronic cash

e-computer electronic computer

ed. editor / edition / edited(by)

e-float electronic float

e-friend electronic friend

e-fund electronic fund

e-learning electronic learning

e-mail electronic mail

EMIS Education Management Information System

EMS enhanced message service

enc. ( encl.) enclosed

eng. Engineer / engineering

e-pal electronic pal

ESN electronic serial number

esp. especially

Esq. Esquire

etc. and so on / and so forth

e-toll electronic toll

e-transfer electronic transfer

ext. extension
e-zine electronic magazine

f feminine / female

f.o.b. free on board

FAQ frequently asked questions

FC football club

Feb. February

ff very loudly (fortissimo)

ff. and the following pages/line

fig. figure / figurative

FM frequency modulation / Field Marshal

FOB fresh off the boat

Fr Father

Fri. Friday

ft foot / feet

Ft Fort

FTP file transfer protocol

FYI for your information

G general audience

g gram(s)

GB gigabyte(s)

Gdns Gardens

Gen. General
GHQ general headquarters

GM genetically modified

Gmail Google mail

Gov. Governor

govt government

GPO General Post Office

GPRS general packet radio services

GPS global positioning system

GSM Global System(Standard) for Mobile Communications

Gt Great

H.I.S. here lies buried ( from hic iacet sepultus)

HD high-definition

HDD hard disc drive

HDTV high definition television

HE (H.E.) His /Her Excellency

HGV heavy goods vehicle

HM (H.M.) His /Her Majesty

hols holidays

Hon. Honorary / Honourable

hosp. hospital

HQ headquarters

hr hour
Hwy Highway

HTTP (http) Hypertext Transfer Protocol

HTTPS (https) Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure

i.e. that is (from Latin, id est )

I.N.R.I. Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews

( from Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum)

i/c in charge

ICE in case of emergency

ICT information and communication technology

id the same ( from idem)

ID card identity (identification) card

IDA In Defence of Animals

IMEI international mobile equipment identity

IMHO in my humble opinion

IMO in my opinion

in. inch(es)

Inc. Incorporated

Ind. independent

Insp. Inspector

internet interconnected network

IOU (IOY) I owe you

IP internet protocol
IQ intelligence quotient

Is. Island(s) / isle

ISP internet service provider

Jan. January

Jr (Jnr) Junior

Jul. July

Jun. June

k thousand ( from Greek, kilo)

KB kilobyte

kg kilogram(s) / kilogramme(s)

km kilometre

KO knockout

kph kilometre per hour

lat. latitude

lb pound ( libra in Latin for weight)

LED light-emitting diode

Ln. Lane

long. longitude

Ltd Limited

m metre / meter

Maj. Major

Mar. March
max. maximum

MB megabyte

MC (M.C.) master of ceremonies

MDD Music, Dance and Drama

med. medium

Messrs gentlemen

mfg manufacturing

mg milligram(s)

min. minute(s) / minimum

ml millilitre(s)

mm millimetre(s)

MO way of operating ( from medus operandi)

Mon. Monday

MP Member of Parliament

MP3 music player 3

mph miles per hour

Mr Mister

Ms Miss

Mrs Mistress

Mt Mount

MTN Mobile Telecommunications ( Telephone) Network

MW medium wave
N North

NB ( N.B.) note carefully / note well ( from nota bene, Latin)

NE north-east / north-eastern

neg. negative

NIN national identification number

No. number ( from Latin, numero)

Nov. November

nr near

O level ordinary level

OB old boy

obv obviously

Oct. October

OG old girl

ok okay / all correct

OTG on-the-go

OTT over the top

oz ounce(s) ( from Italian, onza)

p. page

p.a. per annum / per year

p.m. after noon / in the afternoon / in the evening

P.P. (PP) on behalf of / person present

p.w. per week

par. ( para.) paragraph

pd paid

PDF Portable Document Format

PE (P.E.) physical education

PG parental guidance

PIN personal identification number

Pl. place

pl. plural

PLE (P.L.E.) Primary Leaving Examination

PMO private motor omnibus

PO Postal Order / the Post Office

pop. population

POW prisoner of war

pp very softly ( pianissimo)

pp. pages

pro. professional

Prof. Professor / professional

PS written after (postscript)

PSV public service vehicle (van)

pt point / pint / part

Pt Port

PTA parent-teacher association

Pte Private

PTO please turn over

PVR personal video recorder

q.v. as much as you wish ( from quod vide)

qr quarter

R. King / Queen ( Latin Rex / Regina)

R. River

RAM random-access memory

Rd Road

RE religious education

Re. reason for the letter / subject of the letter

ref referee

ref. reference

reg. registration

Rev. ( Revd) Reverend

RIP (R.I.P.) rest in peace

ROM read-only memory

RPG rocket propelled grenade

RSPCA Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

RSVP (R.S.V.P) please reply

RT retweet

Rt Hon. Right Honourable

Rt Rev. Right Reverend

RTA road traffic accident

S South

S/N serial number

SAE stamped addressed envelope

SASE self-addressed stamped envelope

Sat. Saturday

SD secure digital

SD card secure digital card

SDHC card secure digital high capacity card

sec. second(s)

Sec. Secretary

Secy Secretary

Sen. Senator

Sept. September

Sgt Sergeant

shs. shillings

SIM subscriber identification module

sms short message service / short messaging system

So. South

Soc. Society

SOPs standard operating procedures

SOS save our souls

sq. square

Sr ( Snr) Senior

SS Saints

St Saint / Street / State

st. stone ( NB in weight)

Ste Suite

Sun. Sunday

Supt Superintendent

SW short wave / south-west

TB terabyte

tech technology

Tel. (tel.) telephone

temp. temperature

Thur. Thursday

Tue. Tuesday

TV television

UHF ultra-high frequency

ult. last month (from ultimo)

UNEB Uganda National Examinations Board

Univ. University

UPE Universal Primary Education

URL Uniform Resource Locator

USB universal serial bus

USE Universal Secondary Education

USPA Uganda Society for the Protection of Animals

USSD unstructured supplementary service data

Utd United

UWEC Uganda Wildlife Education Centre

v.s. veterinary surgeon

vac vacation

VAR video assistant referee

VAT value added tax

VCL visual component library

veg vegetable(s)

vet veterinary surgeon / veterinarian

VHF very high frequency

via by way of

VIP Very Important Person

viz. namely ( from videlicet/ videre licet)

virus vital information sources under siege

VJ video jockey

VLE virtual learning environment

vol. volume
 VPN virtual private network

VR virtual reality

vs (v) versus

W West

w.e.f. with effect from

w/c week commencing

WAN wide area network

WAP wireless application protocol

WCU Wildlife Club of Uganda

Wed. Wednesday

WiFi wireless fidelity

WMD weapon of mass destruction

wpm word per minute

WSPA World Society for the Protection of Animals

WWW World Wide Web

yr year

Explanatory Notes
a)Abbreviations for organisations are written with each word beginning with a
capital letter (uppercase letters) e.g.

IDA In Defence of Animals

AVAR Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights

NB: The prepositions aren’t capitalised because they are not part of the
abbreviation.

b) Titles and words linked to proper nouns should begin with capital letters e.g.

Hon. Honourable ( Honourable Nandala Mafabi)

Fr Father ( Father Olema0

Sr Senior ( Walter Cots, Sr )

Ag Acting ( Acting Manager)

Esq. Esquire ( Maga Gerald, Esq.)

Asst Assistant ( Assistant Manager )

Sec. Secretary ( Secretary General )

Co. Imperial British east African Company

Soc. Royal Geographical Society

Assoc. Federation of International Football Association

Mt Mount ( Mount Elgon)

Ltd Limited (Ntake Bakeries Limited)

Rd Road (Kumi Road)

Ln. Lane ( Kakungulu Lane)

St Street (Luwumu Street)

St Saint ( Saint James)

Gt Great (Great Britain)

Hwy Highway (Jinja Highway)

Ct Court (Supreme Court , High Court)

Ft Fort (Fort Patiko)

Pt Port (Port Bell)

Apt Apartment ( Main Street, Apartment 4B)

Ste Suite (Abbra Shopping Centre, Suite 22)

VIP Very Important Person

c) Given that the last letter in the word happens to be the last letter in its
abbreviation, a dot/ period / full stop is not put at the end. NB: Titles are a bit
exceptional because they may or may not take a dot.

Mister Mr ( Mr.)

Doctor Dr ( Dr.)

Road Rd

Limited Ltd

Court Ct

d) Abbreviations that can be used orally/ verbally do not take a dot e.g.

vac vacation

vet veterinary surgeon / veterinarian

TV television
ad advertisement

ref referee

app application

bro brother

e) Abbreviations denoting length, weight and capacity do not take full stops e.g.

l litre

m metre

mm millimetre

kg kilogram

cl centilitre

ml millilitre

km kilometre

oz ounce(s)

Categories

1. Abbreviations originating from Italian include

pp very softly (pianissimo)

ff very loudly (fortissimo)

oz ounce/ ounces ( onza)

2. Abbreviations originating from French include

RSVP please reply (repondez s’il vous plait)

ADC aide-de-camp ( personal assistant)

3. Most abbreviations originate from Latin

i.e. that is (id est)

e.g. for example / for instance (exempli gratia)

etc. and so on / and so forth ( et cetera0

viz. namely ( videlicet / videre licet)

a.m. before noon (ante meridiem)

p.m. after noon (post meridiem)

ad in the year of our Lord (Anno Domini)

RIP rest in peace ( requiescat in pace)

NB note carefully (nota bene)

CV course of life (curriculum vitae)

INRI Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews ( Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum )

No. number (numero)

PS written after / postscript ( post scriptum)