Much of the vocabulary in the English language is influenced by Latin. Although we use words with a Latin origin all the time without realizing, it becomes more obvious when we look at some Latin abbreviations that are still commonly used in English.
We’re not talking about English abbreviations which are shortened versions of an English phrase; these common Latin abbreviations and acronyms come directly from Latin phrases.
So, get ready for a little lesson in Latin, as well as English, in this article!
Common Latin abbreviations used in English
A.D.
Latin: anno Domini
Meaning: in the year of the Lord
The Latin abbreviation A.D. comes from Christianity and is used to label calendar years after the birth of Jesus Christ.
“Mexico became independent from Spain in A.D. 1810”
Confusingly, the abbreviation used to label years before Christ was born, B.C., is a simple English abbreviation of ‘before Christ’. Why do we use Latin for one and English for the other? You can find out more here.
The abbreviation A.D. is often placed before the year, although it can go after. B.C., on the other hand, always goes after the year.
More recently, these terms are being replaced by C.E. (common era) and B.C.E. (before common era) to make people of other religions feel more comfortable using them.
a.m. or AM
Latin: ante meridiem
Meaning: before midday
Used on the twelve-hour clock to indicate times during the morning.
“I get up every day at 7:30 a.m.”
c., ca., or cca.
Latin: circa
Meaning: about; approximately; around
This abbreviation is used to give an approximate date when an exact date is not known.
“This artefact dates back to c. 600 B.C.”
C.V. or CV
Latin: curriculum vitae
Meaning: course of life
A curriculum vitae is a document containing a summary of a person’s education and work history. It’s more commonly called a résumé or resume in American English. This is an important document for anyone applying for a job.
“Putting your C.V. on a recruitment website is a good way to get noticed by employers.”
et al.
Latin: et alii/aliae
Meaning: and others
Used to refer to other people (who may or may not have been previously named in the text).
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs tells the story of the princess Snow White and her friends Happy, Grumpy et al.”
etc.
Latin: et cetera
Meaning: and other things; and so on
‘Etc.’ is used at the end of a list to show the addition of other similar things.
“I love playing competitive team sports like football, basketball, rugby, etc.”
e.g.
Latin: exempli gratia
Meaning: for example
Used to give a specific example of the thing just mentioned.
“Citrus fruits (e.g. oranges and grapefruits) contain a lot of vitamin C.”
i.e.
Latin: id est
Meaning: that is; in other words
Used to give clarification regarding the thing (or things) just mentioned.
“Gemma has found a great reason to visit the gym regularly, i.e. her personal trainer, and she’s really getting into shape.”
“Sarah named her daughters after her favorite Bronte sisters, i.e. Charlotte, Emily and Anne.”
People often get confused between e.g. and i.e. as they are used in similar contexts.
Remember that i.e. is used to elaborate on one specific thing or all examples of the thing stated. There are no exclusions. On the other hand, e.g. is used to offer one or more examples, but it is not a complete list of all possible examples.
lb. and lbs.
Latin: libra
Meaning: scales
Lb. (singular) and lbs. (plural) are units of imperial measurement. The unit is pronounced ‘pound’. One pound in weight is equivalent to 453.6 grams.
You may see lb. used in older recipes, but nowadays measurements are usually given in cups or grams.
M.O.
Latin: modus operandi
Meaning: method of operating
This phrase can refer to a person or organization’s standard way of doing something. It is also used in criminology to describe a criminal’s typical pattern of working, which can often be used to match them with other crimes.
“My M.O. involves getting my most important tasks done in the morning so I can relax in the afternoon.”
“We knew the perpetrator’s M.O. was to target houses with this particular type of lock.”
N.B.
Latin: nota bene
Meaning: note well
Used to draw attention to a note or additional piece of relevant information.
“N.B. Only students who submit their assignments on time will be graded.”
p.a.
Latin: per annum
Meaning: through a year
This Latin abbreviation takes the meaning of ‘yearly’ or ‘annually’. It’s normally used in the context of finances.
“The business is thriving with a profit of $100,000 p.a.”
“The salary for this role is $54,000 p.a.”
p.m. or PM
Latin: post meridiem
Meaning: after midday
Used on the twelve-hour clock to indicate times during the afternoon or evening.
“I’d like to reserve a table for 8 p.m. this Saturday.”
8 p.m. is 20:00 on the 24-hour clock. Note that if using the 24-hour format, there is no need to use p.m., since it’s already clear that the time is after midday. So, you wouldn’t write 14:00 p.m., for instance. Just 14:00 would suffice.
However, for times before midday, you may still wish to use a.m. unless it is clear from the context that the time is in the morning. For more help with talking about time, check out some time idioms.
P.S.
Latin: post scriptum
Meaning: after what has been written
P.S. is used to add text after the signature of a letter or email. You’ll see it more often in handwritten letters, since it is hard to go back and add something you have forgotten. In emails, it could be used to add an afterthought to the main message.
To add further notes you may use P.P.S., P.P.P.S., and so on – but anything beyond two may be considered rather ridiculous.
per cent.
Latin: per centum
Meaning: for each one hundred
You might not have realized that this is a Latin abbreviation since it is often written as ‘percent’ nowadays, having become a word in its own right. In more formal or traditional pieces of writing, though, you may still see it written as ‘per cent.’.
“The company was disappointed to record an increase of only five per cent. in profit compared to the previous year.”
The word ‘percent’ is also represented by the % symbol.
re
Latin: in re
Meaning: in the matter of; concerning
You’ll most often see this used in letters or email headings to indicate the subject matter, where most people consider it an abbreviation of ‘regarding’.
Re can also be used as a preposition in a sentence, most often in business communication. ‘Regarding’ or ‘with regards to’ are suitable alternatives for less formal uses.
“Have you spoken to the client yet re their delivery requirements?”
If you need help understanding business English terms, check out some of the best English courses for business.
R.I.P.
Latin: requiescat in pace
Meaning: may he/she rest in peace
R.I.P is a short prayer or condolence said for someone who has died, often seen on gravestones.
You may have thought that this was an abbreviation of the English phrase ‘Rest In Peace’, but it just so happens that the original Latin phrase has the same initials.
“Samuel, a much loved father and grandfather. R.I.P.”
Sic., sic. or sic
Latin: erat scriptum
Meaning: thus it was written
When quoting text that contains a mistake, this is written to show that the mistake has come from the original text.
“The couple issued a statement saying ‘We have no further coments [sic] on the matter at present.’”
vs., v., vs or v
Latin: versus
Meaning: against; as compared to
‘Versus’ may be written in full or abbreviated. This word is used to show two sides of a fight, competition, legal case or discussion.
“I missed the Liverpool v. Arsenal game last night.”
“Today we’re going to discuss the benefits of buying local vs buying green.”
Some compare and contrast transition words might also come in handy here.
How to write Latin abbreviations in English
You’ll have noticed that all of these Latin abbreviations have a period (full stop) after each shortened word from the original phrase. ‘Re’ and ‘et al.’ are different because ‘re’ and ‘et’ in these phrases are not abbreviated from the original words.
This use of periods helps highlight the fact that you’re writing an abbreviation, especially with terms like ‘a.m.’ and ‘e.g.’ which could otherwise be mistaken for regular words.
In less formal settings, and for the most common Latin abbreviations, the periods may be dropped. Examples above include AM, PM and CV.
Why are some of these abbreviations written in uppercase letters, whereas others are lowercase?
There may be a logical reason for some. For example, the ‘D’ in A.D. refers to ‘Lord’, which is usually capitalized as a sign of respect.
Other times, the abbreviation usually begins a sentence and is therefore capitalized, e.g. N.B. and P.S.
In other cases, there may be no clear logic and you just have to accept that it has always been written that way!
A further thing to note is that although certain abbreviations are usually lowercase, you should still capitalize the first letter when beginning a sentence. We cover this and other English capitalization rules in a separate guide.
Can Latin abbreviations be used in speaking, too?
Yes, many of these Latin abbreviations are spoken as well as written in English. We use these in writing for the sake of convenience and comprehension, and this can carry over to spoken English in some cases.
Some abbreviations that are always spoken are:
- a.m.
- p.m.
- P.S.
- per cent.
Others that are never spoken include:
- etc. (say ‘et cetera’ or ‘and so on’)
- lb. (say ‘pound’)
- c. or ca. (say ‘circa’ or ‘around’)
- vs. (sometimes said as ‘v’; otherwise ‘versus’)
Still others are only sometimes spoken. A more common way to say ‘e.g.’ is ‘for example’ – or using one of these other phrases for giving examples. A C.V. may sometimes be referred to as a curriculum vitae, or in American English, as a résumé. If you’re not sure whether a certain Latin abbreviation can be spoken out loud, you can always avoid using it altogether until you have time to research the answer.
Are there any other Latin abbreviations you have come across in English? There are many others used in medicine, but since these are not considered everyday English to most people, we have excluded them from this list to avoid confusion.
pathetic list. we need to see more of the common writer’s and editor’s latin abbreviations that are in use.