Any shortened form of a word is an abbreviation, for example, etc. for etcetera. You have no doubt noticed that the English language contains many such abbreviations and sometimes it can be confusing to know how to use them correctly and also what they mean.

Let's start with etc. Basically, this means "and so on", "and the rest". Other very common abbreviations used in writing are i.e. and e.g. It sometimes happens that the meanings of these two abbreviations are confused and interchanged. Id est (i.e.) means "that is to say" and "in other words" and exempli gratia (e.g.) means "for example". Let's turn to some other everyday abbreviations:

a.m.(Ante Meridiem), means "before midday" as in "11 a.m. in the morning."

c. or ca. (circa) stands for, "around (about, approximately)", as in "He earns c. $40,000 every year."

C.V or CV (curriculum vitae), means "course of life". A curriculum vitae is a document that contains a summary or list of relevant employment history experience and education. It is used when you apply for a new job. The term is used differently in American English - Americans use the word "Resume".

et al (et alii) stands for "and others", or "and co-workers". It can also mean et alia, "and other things", as well as et alibi, "and other places". Here's an example: "The research was carried out by Professors Sue Brown and James Smythe et al."

N.B. (nota bene) stands for "note well". It is usually written in upper case (capital) letters, as in "N.B: Today, there will be a fire alarm practice at 13.15."

p.a. (per annum) means "through a year", and is used to denote something that occurs yearly, as in "Her salary is $50,000 p.a."

per cent . (per centum), means "for each one hundred" and is usually written as "percent", as in "She gave the project 100 percent of her attention."

p.m.(Post Meridiem), stands for "after midday", as in "He usually goes to sleep at 10 p.m."

p.p.and per pro (per procurationem), means "through the authority of" and is commonly used in business. If a manager is unavailable to sign off a letter with their signature, their assistant can do it on their behalf as long as they write "p.p." next to their name.

P.S. (post scriptum) stands for "after what has already been written" and is used to show any additions to a text after someone's signature.

Re (in re) means "in the matter of", or "concerning" or "regarding". It is often used to prefix the subject of traditional letters or memos and you will have no doubt seen "RE" in the subject line of emails. When it is used in an email subject, it also functions as an abbreviation of "reply".

You will have noticed that all of these common abbreviations derive from Latin. This is no surprise really considering that Latin has greatly influenced the English language and its influence is still in existence today, thanks to the way we use abbreviations in our everyday writing and speaking.

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