An abbreviation (from Latin brevis, meaning short) is a letter or group of letters used in writing, printing, and speech to represent a word or phrase in shortened form. Abbreviations are used to save space and time. The most common are arbitrary signs or initial letters for the words themselves.
Although no specific rule governs the formation of abbreviations, certain kinds have become standard. The most common are (1) first and last letters, for example, Ga. for Georgia (2) first and second letters, for example, Fl. For Florida (3) key identifying letters, for example, apt. for apartment; (3) syllables, for example, anon. for anonymous; (4) initials, as with titles or long names, for example, OAS for Organization of American States.
Unit abbreviations start with a capital letter when they are named after someone (e.g. K for Kelvin, Hz for Hertz ...), otherwise they are lower case (e.g. m for meter, s for second …)
A period (full stop) is often used to signify an abbreviation, but opinion is divided as to when and if this should happen.
Shortened word forms have been in use since antiquity, and many current abbreviations have come from Latin.
The word university was originally an abbreviation of the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium ("guild [or union] of masters and students"), organized for mutual advantage and legal protection.
The abbreviation for pound, "lb.," comes from the astrological sign Libra, meaning "balance."
The name "gin" is an abbreviation of the word geneva, a corruption of either the French genièvre or the Dutch junever, both meaning "juniper."
The cello's full name is the Italian violoncello, meaning little violin, but the abbreviation is more commonly used today.
The abbreviation of 'omnibus', 'Bus' first appeared in 1832. By the 1890s the word 'omnibus' was already archaic, replaced by 'bus'.
The earliest known use of the abbreviation ‘photo’ was by Queen Victoria in a letter in 1860.
The abbreviation “brolly” for an umbrella arrived in 1873.
Taxi was originally an abbreviation of ‘taximeter' (or taxametre), which was the name of the device indicating the fare due.
The abbreviation zip for zipper was also first recorded in 1925.
The abbreviation BBQ for a barbecue was first recorded in Los Angeles in 1938.
The abbreviation “veggie”, for a plant used as food, only began to be used in 1907, while “veggie” meaning a vegetarian was first seen in 1942.
The name jeep for a, sturdy, all-purpose, small but high-powered open automobile is derived from "g.p.," the abbreviation for general-purpose vehicle.
The abbreviation TV for television was first seen in 1948.
Source Funk & Wagnall's Encyclopedia
STYLE CONVENTIONS
Although no specific rule governs the formation of abbreviations, certain kinds have become standard. The most common are (1) first and last letters, for example, Ga. for Georgia (2) first and second letters, for example, Fl. For Florida (3) key identifying letters, for example, apt. for apartment; (3) syllables, for example, anon. for anonymous; (4) initials, as with titles or long names, for example, OAS for Organization of American States.
Unit abbreviations start with a capital letter when they are named after someone (e.g. K for Kelvin, Hz for Hertz ...), otherwise they are lower case (e.g. m for meter, s for second …)
A period (full stop) is often used to signify an abbreviation, but opinion is divided as to when and if this should happen.
FAMOUS ABBREVIATIONS
Shortened word forms have been in use since antiquity, and many current abbreviations have come from Latin.
 |
| Add caption |
The word university was originally an abbreviation of the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium ("guild [or union] of masters and students"), organized for mutual advantage and legal protection.
The abbreviation for pound, "lb.," comes from the astrological sign Libra, meaning "balance."
The name "gin" is an abbreviation of the word geneva, a corruption of either the French genièvre or the Dutch junever, both meaning "juniper."
The cello's full name is the Italian violoncello, meaning little violin, but the abbreviation is more commonly used today.
The abbreviation of 'omnibus', 'Bus' first appeared in 1832. By the 1890s the word 'omnibus' was already archaic, replaced by 'bus'.
The earliest known use of the abbreviation ‘photo’ was by Queen Victoria in a letter in 1860.
The abbreviation “brolly” for an umbrella arrived in 1873.
Taxi was originally an abbreviation of ‘taximeter' (or taxametre), which was the name of the device indicating the fare due.
The abbreviation zip for zipper was also first recorded in 1925.
The abbreviation BBQ for a barbecue was first recorded in Los Angeles in 1938.
The abbreviation “veggie”, for a plant used as food, only began to be used in 1907, while “veggie” meaning a vegetarian was first seen in 1942.
The name jeep for a, sturdy, all-purpose, small but high-powered open automobile is derived from "g.p.," the abbreviation for general-purpose vehicle.
The abbreviation TV for television was first seen in 1948.
Source Funk & Wagnall's Encyclopedia
No comments:
Post a Comment