41 Latin Abbreviations That You Should Absolutely Know
Latin abbreviations are everywhere in today’s world. This post covers all of the crucial abbreviations that you need to know to understand modern English!
I guarantee that you have used Latin abbreviations in your everyday life, even if you don’t realize it. Have you ever added a P.S. to a letter? Or said that you will do something at 7 P.M., not 7 A.M.?
These abbreviations – and many more – come straight from Latin. We will start with the abbreviations most frequently used in everyday life, and then move on to degrees (B.A., Ph.D., etc.) before looking at Latin terms that pop up in academic writing.
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Latin Abbreviations used in Everyday English
This section covers all the crucial Latin abbreviations that you will encounter as you go about your everyday life. You don’t need to be an academic, a doctor, or a lawyer to use these terms!
1 – A.D.
You have almost certainly come across the abbreviation A.D. as part of a date. A.D. stands for the Latin phrase annō Dominī, “in the year of the Lord”.
In the early Middle Ages, Christian scholars in Europe adopted a new dating scheme that divided time into two eras: an old era before Jesus Christ’s birth and a new era including the year of Christ’s birth (year 1) and all years after. Traditionally, all the years from 1 onward were accompanied by the abbreviation A.D.
Note that A.D. is placed before the year. So we are currently in A.D. 2024. That is, we are in the 2024nd year since the birth of the Lord.
(In theory, at least, since historians now calculate that the historical figure Jesus of Nazareth was actually born around 5 B.C.E.)
These days we often hear C.E. or Common Era instead of A.D. But you will still find A.D. in many places, from textbooks to public monuments.
2 and 3 – a.m. and p.m.
A.m. and its opposite p.m. are an essential part of telling time for many people. But most probably don’t realize that these popular abbreviations are short for ante merīdiem (“before noon”) and post merīdiem (“after noon”).
See – Latin is literally everywhere! It is embedded into important systems such as the 24-hour clock and, as we will see below, mathematics and measurements.
4 – c. or ca.
C. or ca. is short for circā, a Latin preposition that means “about” or “at approximately”. Circa appears with dates to indicate the approximate timeframe of an event.
For example, I can say that my great-great-grandmother was born ca. 1885. Maybe it was 1884 or 1886 or even 1887; I’m not exactly sure. But I know she immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager in the early 1900s, so 1885 seems about right.
C. or ca. pops up A LOT in history books, not to mention in Wikipedia articles! When I teach Roman history classes, I frequently write ca. on the blackboard.
5 – C.V.
C.V. is one of the Latin abbreviations most firmly entrenched in everyday life. I know that I have submitted dozens of C.V.s as part of various job and scholarship applications over the years.
So, what does C.V. actually mean? It is short for curriculum vītae, which translates to “course of life” or “running of life”. If your life is a race, your C.V. documents all of the moments along the way: education, internships, work experience, etc.
6 – e.g.
E.g. stands for exemplī grātiā, “for the sake of an example”. This Latin abbreviation can be used interchangeably with English expressions such as “for example” and “for instance”.
I like to use e.g. because it is short and sweet. Here’s an example: I love modern songs that incorporate Greek mythology, e.g. “Cassandra” by Taylor Swift and “Achilles Heel” by J. Maya.
7 – etc.
Etc. is one of the most commonly used Latin abbreviations in English. The full phrase is et cētera “and other things”.
Etc. is used in the same contexts where you might say “and so forth” or “and so on”. For example, I could say that I love all kinds of fruits: apples, bananas, strawberries, etc.
8 – i.e.
I.e. stands for id est, “that is”. We use i.e. to clarify or explain a term or idea that has already been introduced.
If someone asks me what I do for a living, I might say, “I am a classicist, i.e., I study ancient Greece and Rome.” The assumption is that “classicist” is not a word that most people encounter in everyday life, and for this reason it deserves explanation.
People often confuse i.e. and e.g., but they serve different purposes. E.g. (as we saw above) gives you examples of something, while i.e. explains what something means.
Here are two more sentences using i.e.:
- My friend always lets the cat out of the bag (i.e., she can’t keep a secret).
- In ancient Rome, most people lived in insulae (i.e., multi-story apartment blocks).
9 – lb. or lbs.
The pound is the standard unit of mass in the British Imperial and the U.S. customary systems of measurement. The modern pound descends from the Roman libra, and today the abbreviation for pound is still “lb”.
We have added our own flair to it, though, since “pounds” (plural) is abbreviated as “lbs”. The addition of S to make a noun plural is an English convention. After all, the plural of libra is librae, with no S.
I only realized how weird the abbreviation lb is when I married a Peruvian who grew up using kilograms in the metric system. Prior to that, I simply accepted that pounds were the same as these weird “ullbs” (as I pronounced it in my head).
Fun fact: the Latin word libra is also the source of the £ sign, which is a stylized letter L. The most well-known use of this sign is to represent the British pound sterling.
10 – m.o.
M.o. is short for modus operandī, which means “mode of operating”. The expression itself dates to the 1650s, while the abbreviation first appeared in the 1950s (according to Etymonline).
In theory m.o. can describe any habitual method of accomplishing something. For example, my m.o. as a professor is to give weekly quizzes in beginning Latin classes. But the term most frequently refers to a pattern in criminal activity.
Let’s say, for instance, that a burglar always leaves chocolate behind in a safe after stealing the valuables. The gift of chocolate is a part of the burglar’s m.o., a quirky custom that allows police investigators to identify crimes committed by this person.
For my Latin students: operandī is an excellent example of a gerund in the genitive case.
11 – per cent.
“Percent” is usually written as one word in modern English, but it began as an abbreviation for the Latin per centum “per hundred”. Prior to the 20th century, “percent” was usually written as per cent. (two words and with a period after cent).
The Latin meaning behind “percent” makes sense given our base-10 (decimal) numeral system. 100 is a equal to 10 times 10 and thus it is a useful number to designate a whole.
Let’s say that I have 100 students in my classical mythology course, and 15 of them say that Apollonius’ Argonautica is their favorite ancient epic. 15 of the 100 students, or 15 per cent. (15%), choose Apollonius.
12 – P.S.
P.S. shows up all the time in modern English, from letters to movie titles. But did you know that this abbreviation comes from Latin? P.S. stands for post scrīptum, literally “[something] written afterward”.
This, of course, is exactly what a postscript is: something that you add onto the end of your letter, after you have already signed your name.
If you want to add a second postscript, you write “P.P.S.”, which stands for post post scrīptum, something written after a postscript. And you can keep adding Ps ad infinitum if you so desire.
13 – re:
Most people assume that the re: in an email subject line stands for “reply” or “respond”. And it’s true that re: shows up automatically when you reply to an email.
But what if I told you that re: is actually a Latin abbreviation? It is short for in rē, which means “in the matter of” or “with respect to”.
You sometimes see re outside of emails, especially in legal and official contexts. For example, “Re: our discussion on the 1st of May, I must inform you that . . .”
Few people remember the roots of this email term, and the etymology is disputed. But reputable sources such as Etymonline and the RFC Editor recognize its Latin origins, and I like to remember them!
14 – R.I.P.
People often assume that “R.I.P.” stands for “Rest in Peace”, but this is incorrect. This is actually an abbreviation for requiēscat in pāce, which – conveniently – means “may s/he rest in peace” in Latin.
There is evidence of this prayer on early Christian graves, but it only became very popular in the last few hundred years. Now R.I.P. barely even has Christian connotations, although the expression developed out of the Catholic tradition of praying for the dead.
Note that if you are wishing that multiple people rest in peace, you should say: requiēscant in pāce (may they rest in peace).
15 – stat
Stat is a shortened form of the Latin adverb statim “immediately”. So, logically, if you need to do something stat, this means that you need to do it right away.
Stat is mostly used in the field of medicine, but you may hear it in everyday life, too!
16 and 17 – v. and vs.
V. and vs. are both abbreviations for versus, “against”, but they are used in different contexts. V. (no S) appears in legal documents. For instance, if Jane Doe sues the state of Florida, the case might be called Jane Doe v. State of Florida.
Vs., on the other hand, appears in non-legal contexts. We can say that tonight’s baseball game is the Braves vs. the Red Sox. History books might list the 2008 U.S. presidential election as “Obama vs. McCain”.
WARNING: v. can also stand for other Latin words. One is vidē “see!” and another is vīxit “he/she lived”. These abbreviations are less common, but may appear in academic writing.
Latin Abbreviations for Degrees
Academia is full of Latin terminology, which makes sense when you consider that higher education was conducted in Latin for hundreds of years. Some universities still issue diplomas in Latin: all three of my diplomas (from the University of Dallas and Harvard) are written in Latin.
In this section, I cover the most common Latin names for postsecondary degrees. They are structured around three levels:
- Baccalaureus = bachelor (original meaning: ‘vassal farmer’ or ‘young man’)
- Magister = master (literally: ‘teacher’)
- Doctor = doctor (literally: ‘teacher’)
When you earn a degree, you become a bachelor, a master, or a doctor. Based on your specific studies, further words can be added to the title. Usually this involves adding a Latin noun in the genitive case to indicate what you are a bachelor, master, or doctor of.
18 and 19 – B.A. and A.B.
A B.A. is the standard degree granted by four-year colleges and universities. Today, when most degree certificates are written in English, it is easy to assume that B.A. stands for “Bachelor of Arts”. But traditionally the B.A. signifies either baccalaureus artium “bachelor of arts” or baccalaureus in artibus “bachelor in arts”.
The order of the Latin words can be flipped to produce artium baccalaureus. The meaning is still “bachelor of arts”, but now the abbreviation is A.B. Some universities award an A.B. instead of a B.A., but the two are basically equivalent.
20 and 21 – B.S. and S.B.
Students in the humanities receive a B.A., but students in the sciences get a B.S. This stands for baccalaureus scientiae or “bachelor of science”.
Other possible abbreviations are B.Sc., S.B., and Sc.B. The latter two come from scientiae baccalaureus.
22, 23, and 24 – M.A., M.Sc., and M.Phil.
Next up are the degrees at the level of “master”. After completing their Bachelor’s, students can continue to one or two years of postgraduate study in their chosen field.
Magister artium or magister in artibus (M.A.) and artium magister (A.M.) all mean “master of arts” and are degrees commonly awarded to humanities students. Students in science, engineering, and related fields might instead earn a magister scientiae (M.S. or M.Sc.) or scientiae magister (S.M. or Sc.M.), aka a “Master of Science”.
A related degree is the M.Phil., short for magister philosophiae or “Master of Philosophy”. The exact level of this degree depends on the country, but it is typically a two-year research degree.
25, 26, and 27 – Ph.D., D.Phil., and D.Sc.
The highest degree awarded in many fields is the philosophiae doctor or “Doctor of Philosophy”. For instance, I have a Ph.D. in Classical Philology, and that is what qualifies me to teach at the university level in my field (Classical Studies).
D.Phil., short for doctor philosophiae (with the word order flipped), is another possible abbreviation. The University of Oxford, for example, issues a D.Phil. (not a Ph.D.)
Finally, some institutions award a doctor scientiae (D.Sc.) or “Doctor of Science”, although this is less common than the Ph.D. In some countries, the D.Sc. is actually a degree higher than a regular Ph.D.
28 – J.D.
In the United States, anyone who wishes to practice law must go to law school to receive a professional doctorate in law (J.D.). The full name for this degree, typically earned over a three-year period, is jūris doctor or “Doctor of Law”.
J.D. is an important degree in the United States, where degrees in law are not available at the undergraduate level.
29 – M.D.
In the United States, you cannot get a professional degree in medicine at the undergraduate level. Instead, you must continue on to med school, where successful students will receive a M.D. after four years.
M.D. stands for medicīnae doctor, “Doctor of Medicine”. As I mentioned above, this is a professional degree, not a research degree. Candidates especially interested in research may complete a joint M.D. / Ph.D.
Latin Abbreviations used in Academic Writing
Remember what I said about Latin’s historical importance in higher education? It’s not just the degree names that are in Latin. There are also a host of academic abbreviations, most of which appear in footnotes.
If you don’t read scholarly articles or books, you likely won’t see these terms much. But I still think it is good to know them, just in case.
30 – cf.
Cf. is one of the Latin abbreviations most commonly used in academic writing. It stands for cōnfer, which is the command form (imperative) of the Latin verb cōnferō (“bring together, compare”). Thus the literal translation is: “Compare!”
Cf. is used to direct the reader toward other sources which make similar points. Let’s say that you are writing about Valerius Flaccus (a severely underrated Latin poet). You might include the following in a footnote:
Scholar X argues that Valerius Flaccus is the best epic poet to write in Latin. Cf. Scholar Y’s analysis of Valerius’ beautiful style.
I note that Scholar X has made a claim about Valerius’ abilities, and then I suggest that you check out Scholar Y’s article, too. Scholar Y is making a comparable point by demonstrating the beauty of Valerius’ poetry.
31 – et al.
This Latin abbreviation is short for et aliī (“and others”). It is used to cite articles and projects that have more than one author.
Let’s say you are writing a bibliographic entry for an edited volume with seven authors. The first author’s name is fully written, and sometimes the second’s, and then comes the faceless et al. The other five scholars are lumped together under this abbreviation.
Et al. can be frustrating if you are one of the other authors, but it is also helpful for brevity. Trust me – the bibliography for my dissertation was long enough as it was!
32 – fl.
Fl. is a rarer abbreviation, but I do see it pop up in history books from time to time. It stands for flōruit “he/she flourished”.
Fl. is usually followed by a date range. For instance, if I am writing about the Athenian playwright Euripides, I might introduce him as follows: Euripides (fl. 455-408 B.C.E.).
This isn’t the same as indicating someone’s lifespan. Instead, fl. focuses your attention on the most important years in that person’s career. In this instance, I have chosen my dates based on Euripides’ first and last competitions in the City Dionysia. This Athenian festival was the most important venue for new plays to be performed.
Note: “floruit” has also become an English noun. Someone’s floruit is, logically, the years in which they were most active.
33 – i.a.
I.a. is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase inter alia (“among other things”) or inter aliōs (“among other people”).
I most frequently use it in footnotes. So, for example, I might write: “Scholar X and Scholar Y, i.a., believe that Ovid was never sent into exile.” The idea is that there are other scholars, beyond X and Y, who question the reality of Ovid’s exile; but for whatever reason (probably brevity) I am not going to list all of them.
34 – ibid.
Ibid. is a classic abbreviation found in footnotes. It is short for ibīdem, an adverb which means “in the same place”.
Let’s say that I am writing an article about female characters in Vergil’s Aeneid. I might want to cite scholar Alison Keith multiple times, since she wrote the seminal monograph on gender in Roman epic. If two or more footnotes in a row refer to this work, then in the second – and all subsequent footnotes – I can put ibid. instead of listing all of the bibliographic information again.
Here’s what it would look like:
Footnote 1: See Alison Keith, Engendering Rome: Women in Latin Epic (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 50.
Footnote 2: Ibid.
The first footnote directs the reader to page 50 of Keith’s publication. The second footnote sends the reader back to that same location, but ibid. saves a lot of space.
It is also possible to combine ibid. with a page number. If Footnote 2 said “Ibid. 65”, this would mean that the reader should go to the same work, but to page 65 instead of page 50.
35 and 36 – loc. cit. and op. cit.
Loc. cit. is short for locō citātō (“in the place cited”), while op. cit. is short for opere citātō (“in the work cited”).
These two Latin abbreviations fulfill the same basic function as ibid.: they eliminate repetition in footnotes. But while ibid. only asks the reader to look to the immediately preceding footnote, loc. cit. and op. cit. can send the reader to any previous note.
The convention is to put the author’s last name before the abbreviation. Without the author’s name, it is impossible to know what op. cit. or loc. cit. refers to, since presumably many authors and works have been cited.
Footnote 1: See Alison Keith, Engendering Rome: Women in Latin Epic (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 50.
Footnote 2: Feeney, D. C., The Gods in Epic: Poets and Critics of the Classical Tradition (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1991), 182.
Footnote 3: Keith, loc. cit.
Footnote 4: Feeney, op. cit., 184.
In Footnotes 1 and 2, the full bibliographic information for Keith’s and Feeney’s publications is given. But in Footnote 3, I don’t want to list all the information again. Instead, I combine the author name (Keith) with loc. cit. to tell my reader that I am once again referencing page 50 of Keith’s Engendering Rome.
In Footnote 4, I want to cite Feeney’s The Gods in Epic again, but this time my reader needs to look at a different page in the work. The solution is to list the author name (Feeney) and a page number (184) along with op. cit.
Loc. cit. and op. cit. are not very popular anymore, and I have never used them myself. But you may come across them in older academic publications.
37 – N.B.
N.B. is an abbreviation of notā bene: “note well!” N.B. is a call for attention. It means that you should not ignore whatever follows.
Let’s say you are on vacation in a new city. You may find a note from the hotel saying: “N.B.: do not drink the water.”
38 – s.v.
S.v. can stand for two related Latin phrases: sub verbō and sub vōce, both of which mean “under the word”. This abbreviation is used to direct the reader to a specific entry in a dictionary or an encyclopedia.
A more idiomatic translation into English would be “under the heading”.
Let’s say I am writing about false friends between Latin and English. I might tell my students to go read the Oxford Latin Dictionary s.v. virtūs and the Oxford English Dictionary s.v. virtue. Once they read these two dictionary entries, they can compare the range of meanings of virtūs and its descendant “virtue”.
39 – vel sim.
Vel sim. is an abbreviation of vel similia (“or similar things”). It is used in the same way as the much more well-known etc., except that the emphasis is on the similarities between the items in a list.
I could say, for instance, that I enjoy reading fantasy novels by J. R. R. Tolkien, Leigh Bardugo, vel sim.
40 – viz.
Viz. stands for vidēlicet “namely, that is”, which in turn derives from vidēre licet “it is possible to see, it is obvious”. Viz. provides detailed information about something previously mentioned.
Example: “The three branches of government, viz. the executive, the legislative, and the judicial, work together to achieve goals.”
If you are wondering where the Z comes from: excellent question! The Z was originally a ligature that stood for et in Latin manuscripts. Viz. thus represents the beginning (vi) and the end (et) of the word vidēlicet.
Latin Abbreviations: Final Thoughts
Wow, that was a lot of abbreviations. Are you surprised at how present Latin still is, even in the 21st century?
The first 29 abbreviations on the list are the most common, and if you want to expand your vocabulary and knowledge, I would focus on them. But #30-40 can also be key for students and anyone surrounded by academic jargon.
Before I end this already very long post, I want to give you a bonus abbreviation. Most of the ones above first appeared in the Middle Ages or even later, but #41 dates to Roman times.
41 – SPQR
SPQR is perhaps the single most emblematic phrase from ancient Rome. It stands for Senātus Populusque Rōmānus, the “Senate and Roman people”, and thus refers to the Roman government.
In theory, it was the Senate combined with the people who made all important decisions in ancient Rome. “SPQR” can thus be found in decrees and dedications, many of which survive today. This phrase carries with it all the legitimacy and weight of Roman authority.
Today, tourists can spot SPQR on the manhole covers on the modern streets of Rome. See? Iconic!
I hope you enjoyed this post. How many of the abbreviations did you know? Did I forget anything?
And if you want to test your knowledge further, check out my post on Latin words and phrases used in English. I cover everything from vice versa to non sequitur.
39/41, thank you, Livia. Felix from Croatia
Fantastic job, Felix! That’s an impressive knowledge of Latin abbreviations 🙂
Thanks Rebecca !
You are very welcome, Gezim!
Love this post. I surprised myself at how many I knew but there were lots I didn’t. It all makes sense now…
Hi Linda, I’m so happy you enjoyed the post. It’s amazing how much Latin we use without realizing it!
How about Q.E.D? Quod erat demonstrandum.
Hi Sergio, Q.E.D. is another excellent abbreviation. I will add it next time I update this post!