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Abbreviations from Foreign Expressions

There are all sorts of abbreviations in the world. Here is a list of some abbreviations from foreign expressions so that they don’t slip through the cracks. The product is a single-page PDF of the information below.

• AD: Anno Domini means year of our Lord. BC, however, does not have foreign origins. It just means before the birth of Christ.
• AM & PM: ante meridiem means before midday and post meridiem means after midday
• Cf: Confer/conferatur means compare. It refers a reader to other material to allow for a comparison with the topic being discussed.
• CV: A curriculum vitae provides a summary of experience and skills. While a resume is typically one page and competency-based, a CV is more likely used in fields with academic research, so that CVs are often more credential-based, including education, certification, affiliations, publications, etc.
• E.g.: Exempli gratia means for example. E.g. is used before an item or list.
• Et al.: Et al is short for et alia meaning and others. It can refer to a list of additional authors, for example.
• Etc.: Et cetera is an adverb that means “and so on.”
• Ibid: Ibidem meaning the same place. This is used in citations to refer to the exact same location in the previous citation.
• Id: Idem means the same. This is used in citations to refer to another page in a previous citation.
• I.e.: Id est means “that is.” I.e. follows an original statement and precedes further clarification.
• IHS or IHC is an abbreviation for the name of Jesus. Sometimes it is explained as a reference to Constantine’s In Hoc Signo Vinces.
• INRI: Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews
• Lb: Why in the world are pounds labeled as lbs? Lb is an abbreviation of libra for a balance of scales. It also stood for a Latin pound of weight or libra pondo.
• MO: Modus operendi refers to doing something in a particular way, such as using a particular method
• NB: Nota bene, note well.
• Oz: An ounce is related to the Latin uncia, which was the name for both the Roman ounce and inch.
• PS: Postscriptum or Postscript, which means “written after.” It is usually one last note. Having said that, sometimes PPS means post postscript.
• QED: quod erat demonstrandum refers to that which was to be demonstrated, usually placed after a mathematical proof to indicate completion
• RIP: requiescat in pace or rest in peace
• RSVP: abbreviation of the French expression Repondez, s’il vous plaît’. It translates to “Respond, if you please.”
• SDG: Soli Deo Gloria means glory to God alone.
• SPQR: Senātus Populusque Rōmānus, technically this refers to the Roman Republic, but some people apply it to the Roman state in general. More militaristic uses, are recent.

For more extensive lists of abbreviations:

• Abbreviations.com
• Abbreviations from the OED (Oxford English Dictionary: The definitive record of the English language)
• Library of Congress’s “Acronyms and Abbreviations“
• Medicinenet.com’s A-Z List of Common Medical Abbreviations
• Military Acronyms & Abbreviations
• Wikipedia’s “List of Latin abbreviations“