4. Commercial Abbreviations
A
A-1 first class
@ at the rate of at the rate of
a.a.r. against all risks
abbr. abbreviation
abbrev. abbreviation
abr. abridged
abs. absent
abstr. abstract
a/c. account
A/C Account
ac. account
acct. account
A.D. Acknowledgement due
a.d. after date
anno domini: in the year of our Lord
Ad lib. Ad libitum (at pleasure)
Ad lib. ad libitum (at pleasure)
admin. administration
ad.val. ad valorem (according to value)
ad. advertisement
advt. advertisement
Advt. Advertisement
advert. advertisement
aftn. afternoon
agcy. agency
agt. agent
Agt. Agent
alt. alternate
alt. altitude
alt. altogether
A.M. Ante Meridiem (morning)
(before noon)
a.m. Ante Meridiem (morning)
(before noon)
amt. amount
a/o account of
appro. approval
Arith. Arithmetic
art. article
A/S. account sales or sales account
assn. association
assoc. association
asst. assistant
asst. assorted
Aug. August
aux. auxiliary
Ave. Avenue
B
bal. balance
b.b. bill book or bank book
bd. board
bd. bound
B.C. Before Christ
B/E Bill of Exchange
bdl. bundle
bdth. breadth
b.f. brought foward
bk. bank
bk. book
bk. bookkeeping
B/L. Bill of Lading
bl. Bill of lading
bl. barrel
bl. bale
bldg. building
blk. bulk
blk. blank
bot. bottle
B.P. Bill Payable
bp. bill of parcel
b.p. boiling point
b.p. below proof
B.R. Bills Receivable
B/R. Bills Receivable
Br. Brother, Branch
brl. barrel
bro. brother
B.S. Bill of Sale
B/S Bill of Sale
b.s. balance sheet
bt. bought
bght. bought
bu. bushel(s)
bu. bureau
bx. box
C
C Centigrade/cents
C.A. Chartered Accountant
Cost Accountant
c.a. circa (about)
cap. capital
cap. capitalise
Capt. Caption
c.c. carbon copy
cc. cubic centimetre(s)
cent. a hundredth
cf. refer
cge.pd. carrige paid
C.H. Custom House
chem. chemical
chron. chronological
c.i.f. cost, insurance and freight
C/L. Carload
c.l. cart-load
cml. commercial
Co. Company
co. company
c.o. care of
C/o. care of
C.O.D. Cash on Delivery
c.o.d. cash of delivery
Col. Colonel, column
comp. compound
comm. commission, communication
consgt. consignment
cont. continued
contr. contract
Co-op. Co-operative (society)
Corpn. Corporation
corr. correspondence
c.p. candle power
Cp. Compare
cpd. compound
Cr. Creditor
cr. credit
C/R. Company’s Risk
c/s. cases
ct. carat
cu. cubic
cum.div. with dividend
currt. current
current present month of year
C.W.O. Cases with order
Cwt. hundred weight
D
D. In Roman numerals, 500
d. date
d/a. document against acceptance
d/d. days after date
d/d delivered
Dec. December
deg. degree(s)
del. deliver
del. delegate
dely. delivery
dept. department
deptt. department
dis. discount
disc. discount
disct. discount
Ditto The same
div. dividend
div. division
divd. dividend
dk. dock
dk. dark
dks. docks
D/n Debit note
do. ditto (the same)
D/o delivery order
doz. dozen
d/p. documents against payment
dpth. depth
Dr. Debtor
dr. debtor/debit
dr. dram
dr. drawer
d.s. days after sight
d/s. days after sight
dup. duplicate
dy. delivery
dz. dozen
E
ea. each
ed. edited
ed. edition
ed. editor
EE. Errors Expected
e.g. exempli gratia (for example)
encl. enclosure
encls. enclosures
E.& O.E. errors and omissions expected
e.o.m. end of month
eq. equal
equit. equivalent
Esq. Esquire
est. establish
est. estimate
et.al. et alibate (and elsewhere)
etc. etcetera (and so forth and the rest)
et. seq. et sequents (and the following)
ex. from
ex. example
ex. exchange
exc. exchange
excl. exclusive
exec. executive
ext. extention
ex.div. ex dividend (without dividend)
F
F. Friday, Fahrenheit
f.a.a. free of all average
fac. facsimile
facs. facsimile
fah. fahrenheit
f.a.q. fair average quality
f.a.s. free alongside ship
f.d. free docks (goods to be delivered)
Feb. February
fig. figure
f.o. folio
f.o.b. free on board
F.O.B. Free on Board
fol. folio
folg. following
F.O.R Free on Rail
f.p. foot-pound
f.p.a. free particulars average (marine insurance)
fr. franc
Free case no change for case
Fri. Friday
G
gal. gallon
gall. gallon
g.c.f. greatest common factor
gds. goods
gen. general
gm. gramme
gns. guneas
Gr. Grains
Gr. Gross
gr.wt. gross weight
gro.wt. gross weight
grs. gross
g.t.c. good till cancelled
guar. guaranteed
g.v. grande votesse
(Fast goods train)
H
hhd. hogshead
Hon. Honourable
hon. honorary
H.P. Horse Power
h.p. horse power
H.P. Hire Purchase
h.p.n. horse power nominal
hr. hour
hrs. hours
ht. heat
ht. height
I
ib. ibidem (in the same place)
ibid. ibidem (in the same place)
i.c. in charge
i.d. idem (the same)
i.e. idest (that is)
I.H.P indicated Horse Power
imp. important
imp. imported
in. inch
inc. incorporated
inc. Incorporated
inc. including
inc. incomplete
Incorp. Incorporated
in ex. in extenso
inf. information
inf. infra (below)
ins. insurance
inst. instant (present month)
int. interest
inv. invoice
I/O. Inspecting Order
I.O.U. Inspecting Order
ital italics
J
Jan. January
jn. Junction
J.P. Justice of the peace
Jr. Junior
Jun. June
Jul. July
Jt. Joint
J.S. Joint Secretary
K
k. kilo
k.g. kilogramme
kild. kilderkin
k.m. kilometre
k.o. knock out
kt. carat
kw. kilowatt(s)
L
L. In Roman numerals, 50
L or l. A pound Sterling
Lb. A pound weight
L/C. Letter of Credit
Lib. Library
Lim. Limited
Lit. Litre
lgth. length
log. logarithm
Ltd. Limited
ltd. limited
lugg. rail goods trair
M
m. minute
m. month
m. metre
maj. major
Mar. Mrch
max. maximum
m/d. months after date
mdse. merchandise
med. medium
mem. member
memo. memorandum
Messrs. Messieurs
mfg. manufacturing
mfr. manufcture
m.g. milligram
Mgr. Manager
mks. marks
min. minimum
min. minute
misc. miscellaneous
M.M. Messieurs
m.m. millimetre
M.O. Money Order
m.o. money order
Mon. Monday
m.p.h. mile per hour
Mr Mister
M/s. Messrs
Mrs Mistress
Ms Manuscript
MS. Manuscript
ms. manuscript
m/s. months after sight
mths. months
mos months
mts. minutes
Mtge. mortgage
N
n. north/nitrogen
n.a. not available/(mark well)
N.B. Nota Bene (mark well)
neg. negative/negligible
nem.con. no one objecting
No. number
no. number
nom.cap nominal capital
Nov. November
nr. near
n.s. not specified
O
O. Order
o. order
o.a. on account (of)
O/a. On account (of)
o.c. overcharge, office copy
o.d. on demand
O.I.G.S. On India Government Service
op.cit. opere citato (in the work or book cited)
o.s. out of stock
% percent
oz. ounce
P
p. per or through
p.a. per annum
p.c. percent
pcl. parcel
pd. paid
per ann.
per pro.
pkg. packing
P&L Profit and Loss
p.m. post meridiem (after noon)
P.N. Promissory Note
P.O. Postal Order/Post Office
pp. pages
P.P. Parcel Post/Particular Person
(Telephone)
pro. for
pro. tem. tem. for the next time being
Prox. Proximo, Next month
P.T.O. Please Turn Over
P.V. Petit Vitesse (Ordinary goods train)
Q
q.v. quod vide (which see)
qual. quality
qy. query
R
Re. Refer or referring to
re. refer or referring to
recd. received
recpt. receipt
regd. registered
refce reference
reg. registered
retd. returned
R.P. reply paid
R.S.V.P. repondez s’il vous plait
(reply, if you please)
S
S. Shilling
S/d. Sight draft
Sec. Secretary
sec. secretary, second
senr. senior
sh. shiling
S.N. Shipping Note
Sq. Square
Sq. ft. Square foot
Sq.yd. Square yard
Sr. Senior
SS. Steamship
S/S. Steamship
Stg. Sterling
Str. Streamer
Subs.cap. subscribed capital
T
T.L.O. total loss only
tgm. telegram
tr. tare (Weight)
U
ult. ultimo (last month)
U.K. United Kingdom
U.S.A. United States of America
U.S.S.R. United of Soviet Socialist Republics
V
via. By way of
V.P.L. Value Payable Ltter
V.P.P. Value Payable Post
viz. namely
W
wt. weight
w.e.f. with effect from
Y
yd. yard
yr. year
_____________