2D
2-Dimensional
3D
3-Dimensional
3M
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing
4GL
Fourth Generation Language
4H
Head, Heart, Hands, Health
4WD
Four wheel Drive (see also FWD)
A
Aftermath
AA
Affirmative Action committee
AA
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA
Antiaircraft Artillery
AA
Associate in Accounting
A&A
Astronomy and Astrophysics [Space]
AA
Automobile Association [England]
AAA
American Automobile Association
AAAL American Academy of Arts and Letters
AAAS American Association for the Advancement of Science
AAII American Association of Individual Investors
AAMSI American Association for Medical Systems Informatics
AAO
Anglo-Australian Observatory [Space]
AAP
Affirmative Action Program
AARC Anglo-American Cataloging Rules
AARN Australian Academic Research Network [Networking]
AARP American Association of Retired Persons
AAS
American Astronomical Society [Space]
AAVSO American Association of Variable Star Observers [Space]
AB
ABle seaman
ABA
American Bar Association
ABA
American Basketball Association
ABA
American Booksellers Association
ABBR ABBReviation
ABC
American Broadcasting Company [Corporate name]
AC
Alternating Current (ac, see also DC)
AC
Ante Christum (before Christ)
AC
Ante Cibum (before meals)
ACAA Agricultural Conservation and Adjustment Administration
ACAWS Advisory, Caution, And Warning System
ACBL American Contract Bridge League
ACC
Argonne Code Center
ACCS Army Command and Control System
ACD
Automatic Call Distributor [Telephony]
ACE
Advanced Composition Explorer [Space]
ACE
Advanced Computing Environments [Corporate name]
ACE
Automatic Calibration and Equalization
ACHEFT
Automated ClearingHouse Electronic Funds Transfer
ACK
ACKnowledge
ACL
Advanced Cmos Logic
ACLU American Civil Liberties Union
ACM
Association for Computing Machinery
ACRV Assured Crew Return Vehicle (or) Astronaut Crew Rescue Vehicle [Space]
ACS
Advanced Communications System
ACSE Association Control Service Entity (ISO/CCITT layer 7)
ACT
Action for Children's Television (in Cambridge, MA)
ACT
American Conservatory Theater
ACTS Advanced Communications Technology Satellite
ACTS Automatic Coin Telephone Service [Telephony]
ACU
Alarm Control Unit
ACU
Automatic Call Unit [Telephony]
ACW
Alternating Continuous Waves
AD
After Date
A/D
Analog to Digital converter (see ADC)
AD
Anno Domini (in the year of our Lord)
AD
Application Development
Ad Astra
To the stars [Latin, Space]
ADAP Alzheimer's disease-associated protein
ADAP American Discount Auto Parts [Corporate name]
ADB
A DeBugger
ADB
Apple Desktop Bus
ADC
Analog to Digital Converter
ADCI Automatic Display Call Indicator
AD&D Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
ADF
Automatic Direction Finder
ADM
ADMiral
ADP
Adenosine Di-Phosphate
ADP
Administrative Data Processing
ADP
Advanced Data Processing
ADPCM Pulse Code Modulation with Adaptive Quantization
ADS
Application Development System
ADSR Attack Decay Sustain Release
ADT
Abstract Data Type
ADT
Atlantic Daylight Time
AE
Application Execution
AEA
American Electronics Association
AEC
Atomic Energy Commission
AEF
American Expeditionary Force (see BEF)
AEGIS Advanced Electronic Guidance and Instrumentation System
AF
Adventures in Fantasy
AF
Air Force
AF
Audio Frequency
AFADS Automatic Force Adjustment Data System
AFATDS
Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System
AFB
Air Force Base
AFC
American Football Conference
AFC
Automatic Flight Control
AFC
Automatic Frequency Control
AFCAC Air Force Computer Acquisition Center
AFCC Air Force Communications Command
AFGE American Federation of Government Employees
AFIPS American Federation of Information Processing Societies
AFL
American Federation of Labor
AFL
American Football League
AFLCIO
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial
Organizations
AFNOR Association Francaise de NORmalization
AFP
Appletalk Filing Protocol
AFS
Andrew File System
AFSC Air Force Systems Command
AFSCME
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
AFTRA American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
AG
Adjutant General
AG
Arcade Game
AG
Attorney General
AGCT Army General Classification Test
AGN
Active Galactic Nucleus [Space]
AHL
American Hockey League
AHQ
Air HeadQuarters
AI
Artificial Intelligence
AIAA American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics [Space]
AIC
Automatic Intercept Center
AID
Agency for International Development
AIDDE Ames' Interactive Dynamic Display Editor
AIDS Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome
AIOD Automatic Identification Outward Dialing
AIS
Automatic Intercept System
AIX
Advanced Interactive eXecutive (IBM's name for UNIX)
AJ
Astronomical Journal [Space]
AK
Alaska
AKA
Also Known As
AL
Alabama [US state postal designation]
AL
American League (baseball)
ALA
American Library Association
ALA
Automobile Legal Association
ALBM Air-to-Land Ballistic Missile
ALC
Automatic Load Control
ALGOL ALGOrithmic Language
ALIT Automatic Line Insulation Testing [Telephony]
ALPO Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers [Space]
ALS
Advanced Launch System [Space]
ALU
Arithmetic Logic Unit
A&M
Agricultural and Mechanical
AM
Amplitude Modulation
AM
Ante Meridiem (before noon)
AMA
American Medical Association
AMA
Automatic Message Accounting [Telephony]
AMARC Automatic Message Accounting Recording Center
AMBA Association of Master of Business Administration
AMC
Albany Medical College
AMC
American Motors Corporation(?) [Corporate name]
AMC
Appalachian Mountain Club
AMD
Advanced Micro Devices [Corporate name]
AMEX AMerican EXpress [Corporate name]
AMI
Alternate Mark Inversion (see also NRZ, NRZI, B8ZS)
AMORC Ancient Mystic Order Rosae Crucis
AMP
Adenosine MonoPhosphate
AMPAS Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
AMPAS Acedemy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
AMRAAM
Advanced Medium Range Air-To-Air Missile
AMROC American Rocket Company [Space]
AMSAT radio AMateur SATellite corp.
AMU
Atomic Mass Unit
AMVET AMerican VETeran
ANA
American Nurses Association
ANAC Automatic Number Announcemnt Circuit [Telephony]
ANC
All Number Calling [Telephony]
ANC
Army Nurse Corps
ANDF Architecture-Neural Distribution Format
ANF
Automatic Number Forwarding [Telephony]
ANG
Air National Guard
ANI
Automatic Number Identification (see also: CLID) [Telephony]
ANL
Argonne National Laboratory
ANOVA ANalysis Of VAriance
ANPA American Newspaper Publishers Association
ANSI American National Standards Institute
ANZUS Australia, New Zealand, United States
AO
Account Of
AOA
Abort Once Around [NASA, Shuttle]
AOA
Abort Once Around (Shuttle abort plan) [Space]
AOL
Absent Over Leave (see AWOL)
AOS
Academic Operating System
AOS
Alternate Operator Service [Telephony]
A/P
Accounts Payable
AP
Additional Premium
AP
All Points
AP
Associated Press [Corporate name]
APA
All Points Addressable
APA
American Psychological Association
APB
All Points Bulletin
APDA Apple Programmers and Developers Association
API
Application Programming Interface
APICS American Production and Inventory Control Society
Ap.J Astrophysical Journal [Space]
APL
A Programming Language
APL
acute promyelocytic leukemia [Disease]
APO
Alpha Phi Omega, service fraternity
APO
Army Post Office
APP
Applications Portability Profile
APPC Advanced Peer-to-Peer Communications
APR
Annual Percentage Rate (as in loan interest)
APSE Ada Programming Support Environment
APU
Auxiliary Power Unit [Space]
AQ
Accumulator-Quotient register
A/R
Accounts Receivable
AR
Address Register
AR
Arkansas
ARC
AIDS-related complex
ARC
American Red Cross
ARC
Ames Research Center (NASA) [Space]
ARCNET
Attached Resource Computer local area NETwork
ARO
After Receipt of Order
ARP
Address Resolution Protocol
ARPA Advanced Research Projects Agency (of the DoD, see DARPA)
ARPANET ARPA (q.v.) NETwork
ARRL Amateur Radio Relay League
ARV
American Revised Version
AS
Anglo-Saxon
ASA
Acetyl Salicylic Acid
ASAP As Soon As Possible
ASC
Accredited Standards Committee
ASCAP American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers
ASCC Automatic Sequence-Controlled Calculator
ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASDIC Anti-Submarine Detection Investigation Committee (British for sonar)
ASDSP Application-Specific Digital Signal Processor
ASG
Automated Sciences Group
ASHRAE
Amer. Soc. of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-cond. Engineers, inc.
ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit
ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers
ASN
Abstract Syntax Notation One (ISO/CCITT ASN.1)
ASP
Aggregated Switch Procurement
ASRM Advanced Solid Rocket Motor [Space]
ASSR Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
AST
Atlantic Standard Time
ASV
American Standard Version
AT
Atlantic Time
ATA
Automatic Trouble Analysis
ATACC Advanced Tactical Air Command Central
ATB
Advanced Technology Bomber (stealth bomber)
ATC
Air Traffic Control
ATDRS Advanced Tracking and Data Relay Satellite [Space]
ATF
Advanced Technology Fighter
ATIS Atherton Tools Interface Specification
ATLAS Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science [Space]
ATM
Amateur Telescope Maker [Space]
ATM
Asynchronous Transfer Mode
ATM
Automatic Teller Machine
ATO
Abort To Orbit [NASA, Shuttle]
ATO
Abort To Orbit (Shuttle abort plan) [Space]
ATOMS AT&t Optimized Materials Simulator
ATP
Adenosine TriPhosphate
ATPCO Airline Tariff Publishing COmpany
AT&T American Telephone & Telegraph [Corporate name]
ATT
American Telephone & Telegraph (normally written AT&T when seperate)
ATTIS American Telephone and Telegraph Information Systems [AT&T] (Division)
ATV
All Terrain Vehicle
AU
Astronomical Unit (93,000,000 miles) [Space]
AU
Astronomical Unit [Space]
AUI
Attachment Universal Interface
AURA Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy [Space]
AUS
Army of the United States
AUTODIN AUTOmatic DIgital Network
AUTOVON AUTOmatic VOice Network
AV
AudioVisual
AVLIS Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation
AWACS Airborne Warnings And Control Systems
AWEA American Wind Energy Association
AWK
al Aho, peter Weinberger, brian Kernighan (pattern scanning language)
AWOL Absent WithOut Leave (also Absent Without Official Leave) (see AOL)
AW&ST Aviation Week and Space Technology (a.k.a. AvLeak) [Space]
AXAF Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility [Space]
AZ
Arizona
B
Book
B8ZS Binary 8 Zero Substitution (see also NRZ, NRZI, AMI)
BA
Bachelor of Arts
BACH Business Alliance for Commerce in Hemp
BAFO Best And Final Offer
BARRNet Bay Area Regional Research Network (SF Bay Area)
BASIC Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code
BATSE Burst And Transient Source Experiment (on GRO) [Space]
BB
Bases on Balls
BB
Best of Breed
BB
Bunnies and Burrows
BBA
Bachelor of Business Administration
BBB
Better Business Bureau
BBC
British Broadcasting Corporation
BBL
Barrel
BBN
Bolt, Beranek, and Newman, Inc. [Corporate name]
BBXRT Broad-Band X-Ray Telescope (ASTRO package) [Space]
BC
Battlecars
BC
Before Christ
BC
British Columbia
BC/BS Blue Cross/Blue Shield
BCD
Bad Conduct Discharge
BCD
Binary Coded Decimal
BCDIC Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
BCE
Before the Common Era (substitute for BC)
BCNU Be Seeing You [Net jargon]
BCP
Byte Controlled Protocols
BCPL Basic Combined Programming Language
BCS
Bachelor of Commercial Science
BCS
Binary Compatibility Standard
BCS
Boston Computer Society
BCS
British Computer Society
BD
Bachelor of Divinity
BD
Bank Draft
BD
Bills Discounted
BD&D Basic Dungeons & Dragons
BDF
Binary Distribution Format
BDT
Billing Data Transmitter
BE
Bill of Exchange
BEF
British Expeditionary Force (see AEF)
BELCORE BELL COmmunications REsearch
BEM
Bug Eyed Monster
BEM
Bug-Eyed Monster [Space]
BENELUX BElgium, NEtherlands, and LUXembourg
BER
Bit Error Rate
BERT Bit Error Rate Test
BEST Borland Enhanced Support and Training
BF
Brought Forward
BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
BFD
Bristol (RI) Fire Department (probably typical of any town starting "B")
BH
Black Hole [Space]
BH
Boot Hill
BHP
Brake HorsePower
BICS Building Industry Consulting Services [Telephony]
BID
Bis In Die (twice a day)
BIMA Berkeley Illinois Maryland Array [Space]
BIOS Basic Input Output System
BIS
Business Information System
BISDN Broadband ISDN (q.v.) [Telephony]
BiSync
Binary Synchronous Communications (BSC is preferred) [IBM]
Bit
BInary digiT
BITNET
Because It's Time Network
BLAST BLocked ASynchronous Transmission
BLERT BLock Error Rate Test
BLF
Busy Lamp Field [Telephony]
BLT
Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato (sandwich)
BLT
BLock Transfer [Instruction]
BLT
Branch Less Than [Instruction]
BM
Basal Metabolism
BM
Bowel Movement
BMA
Bank Marketing Association
BMEWS Ballistic Missile Early Warning
BMO
Ballistic Missile Office
BMOC Big Man On Campus
BMR
Basal Metabolism Rate
BNC
Bayonet Neill Concelman (connector) [Electronics] (see also TNC)
BNF
Bachus-Naur Form
BO
Body Odor
BO
Branch Office
BO
Buyer's Option
BOC
Bell Operating Company
BOD
Board Of Directors
BOF
Birds Of a Feather
BOM
Bill Of Materials
BOOTP Bootstrap Protocol [Internet]
BOQ
Bachelor Officers' Quarters
BOS
Business Office Supervisor
BOSIX Biin Open System Interface eXtension
BP
Blood Pressure
BP
British Petroleum
BP
British Pharmacopoeia
BPI
Bits Per Inch
BPL
Boston Public Library
BPL
Branch if PLus [Instruction]
BPOE Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
BPS
Bits Per Second
BR
Bills Receivable
BR
British Rail
BRA
Boston Redevelopment Authority
BRI
Basic Rate Interface (ISDN) [Telephony]
BRIEF Basic Reconfigurable Interactive Editing Facility
BRL
army Ballistic Research Laboratory
BRS
Bibliographic Retrieval Service
BS
Bachelor of Science
BS
Bill of Sale
BSA
Birmingham Small Arms
BSA
Boy Scouts of America
BSc
Bachelor of SCience
BSC
Binary Synchronous Communications (also sometimes BiSync) [IBM]
BSD
Berkeley Software Distribution
BSN
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
BSS
Block Started by Symbol
BSTJ Bell System Technical Journal
BT
British Telecom
BTAM Basic Telecommunications Access Method [IBM]
BThU British Thermal Unit (BTU {q.v.} is preferred)
BTL
Bell Telephone Laboratories
BTO
Bachman Turner Overdrive
BTU
British Thermal Unit
BTW
By The Way [Net jargon]
BU
Boston University
BUF
B-52 bomber ("Big Ugly Fellow") [USAF]
BV
Blessed Virgin
BWI
Baltimore-Washington International (airport)
BWI
British West Indies
BX
Base eXchange (see also PX)
c
centi- (metric 1/100)
C
programming language (successor to B, which was based on BCPL)
CA
California
CA
Chartered Accountant
CA
Chief Accountant
CA
Chronological Age
CA
Collision Avoidance (as in CSMA/CA (q.v.))
CAB
Civil Aeronautics Board
CACM Communications of the Association for Computing Machinery
CAD
Computer Aided Design (sometimes seen as CAD/CAM)
CAD
Computer Aided Dispatching
CAE
Common Applications Environment
CAE
Computer Aided Engineering
CAI
Computer Aided Instruction
CAIS Common Apse Interface Specification
CALS Computer-aided Acquisition and Logistics Support
CAM
Computer Aided Management
CAM
Computer Aided Manufacturing (sometimes seen as CAD/CAM)
CAM
Content Addressable Memory
CAMA Centralized Automatic Message Accounting [Telephony]
CAMP Campaign Against Marijuana Planting
CAP
Civil Air Patrol
CAP
Columbia Appletalk Package
CAR
Contents of the Address part of the Register (LISP)
CARE Committee on American Relief in Europe
CARP California Air Resources Board
CASE Computer Aided Software Engineering
CASSIS
Classification and Search Support Information System
CAT
Computer-Aided Tomography
CATIS Common Applications and Tools Integration Services
CATV Common Antenna TeleVision
CATV Community Antenna TeleVision
CAVU Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited
CB
Citizens Band radio
CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
CBD
Cash Before Delivery
CBD
Commerce Business Daily
CBEMA Computer & Business Equipment Manufacturers Association
CBR
Chemical, Biological, Radiological warfare
CBS
Columbia Broadcasting System [Corporate name]
CBW
Chemical and Biological Warfare
CC
C (language) Compiler
CC
Carbon Copy
CCA
Computer Corporation of America [Corporate name]
CCAFS Cape Canaveral Air Force Station [Space]
CCC
Canadian Committee on Cataloging
CCC
Civil(ian) Conservation Corps
CCC
Command, Control, and Communications (sometimes C^3)
CCC
Concourse Computer Center [MIT]
CCCCM CCC CounterMeasures (sometimes C^3CM)
CCCI Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence
CCD
Charge Coupled Device (see CID)
CCD
Charge-Coupled Device [Space]
CCDS Centers for the Commercial Development of Space [Space]
CCF
Hundred Cubic Feet
CCI
Computer Carrier Interrupt
CCI
Computer Consoles, Incorporated
CCIP Continuously Computed Impact Point
CCIRN Coordinating Committee for Intercontinental Research Networking
CCIS Common Channel Interoffice Signaling [Telephony]
CCITT Comite' Consultatif International Telegraphique et Telephonique
CCITT Consultative Committee on International Telephony and Telegraphy
CCITT International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee
CCR
Commitment, Concurrency, and Recovery
CCR
Creedence Clearwater Revival [Music]
CCRI Community College of Rhode Island [Corporate name]
CCRP Continuously Computed Release Point
CCS
Hundred Call Seconds [Telephony]
CCS7 Common Channel Signalling (version #7) [Telephony, AT&T]
CCSA Common Control Switching Arrangement [Telephony]
CCTA Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency
CCTV Closed Circuit TeleVision
CD
Carrier Detect (properly DCD (q.v.)) (EIA RS-232-C)
CD
Certificate of Deposit
CD
Civil Defense
CD
Collision Detection (as in CSMA/CD (q.v.))
CD
Compact Disk
CDA
Call Data Accumulator
CDA
Compound Documents Architecture
CDC
Centers for Disease Control
CDC
Control Data Corporation, Inc. [Corporate name]
CDEV Control panel DEVice
CDIAC Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center
CDO
Community Dial Office
CDR
CommanDeR
CDR
Contents of the Decrement part of the Register (LISP)
CD-ROM
Compact Disk Read Only Memory
CD-ROM
Compact Disk Read-Only Memory [Space]
CDSF Commercially Developed Space Facility
CDT
Central Daylight Time
CDU
Control Display Unit
CE
Chemical Engineer
CE
Civil Engineer
CE
Common Era (substitute for AD)
CE
Corps of Engineers
CE
Customer Engineer (see also FE, SE)
CEA
Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (Frenc Atomic Energy Commision)
CEA
Council of Economic Advisors
CEA
County Education Authority
CEC
Commission of the European Communities
CED
Committee for Economic Development
CELSS Controlled Ecological Life Support System [Space]
CENS Centre d'Etudes Nucleaires de Seclay
CENTO CENtral Treaty Organization
CEO
Chief Executive Officer
CERFnet California Education and Research Federation Network
CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research
CERN organisation (formerly Conseil) Europeenne pour la Recherche Nucleaires
CERT Computer Emergency Response Team
CEVI Common Equipment Voltage Indicator
CF
Carry Forward
CF
Coin First (payphone) [Telephony]
CF
Cystic Fibrosis [Disease]
CFA
Center For Astrophysics [Space]
CFC
Chloro-FluoroCarbon [Chemical]
CFC
Combined Federal Campaign
CFD
Computational Fluid Dynamics
CFHT Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope [Space]
CFI
Cost, Freight, and Insurance
CFL
Canadian Football League
CFO
Chief Financial Officer
CG
Coast Guard
CG
Commanding General
CGA
Color Graphics Adapter
CGCT Compagnie Generale de Constructions Telephoniques
CG&E Cincinnati Gas & Electric
CGE
Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
CH
Cardboard Heroes
CH
ClearingHouse
CH
CourtHouse
CH
Customs House
CHA
Champions
CHAP CHAnnel Processor
CHARA Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy [Space]
CHI
Chill:
Adventures into the Unknown
CHOTS Corporate Headquarters Office Technology System
CHP
California Highway Patrol
CI
Cubic Inches
CIA
Central Intelligence Agency [US Government]
CIA
Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park, NY)
CIC
Carrier Identification Codes [Telephony] (10XXX codes)
CIC
Committee on Institutional Cooperation
CIC
Coordination and Information Center [CSNet]
CICA Competition in Contracting Act
CICS Customer Information Control System [IBM]
CID
Caller ID [Telephony] (see also: CLID, ANI)
CID
Central Institute for the Deaf
CID
Charge Injection Device (see CCD)
CID
Computer Integrated Design
CIDIN Common Icao Data Interchange Network
CIM
Computer Integrated Manufacturing
CIO
Chief Information Officer
CIRRIS
Cryogenic InfraRed Radiance Instrument for Shuttle [Space]
CISC Complex Instruction Set Computer
Cislunar
The space between the Earth and the Moon
CIT
California Institute of Technology
CIT
Case Institute of Technology (part of CWRU, Cleveland, OH)
CIT
Circumstellar Imaging Telescope [Space]
CLASP Comprehensive Logistics Automated Support Program
CLASS Custom Local Area Signaling Service [Telephony]
CLI
Command Line Interpreter
CLID Calling Line ID [Telephony] (see also: CID, ANI)
CLNP Connectionless-mode Network Protocol
CLNS Connectionless-mode Network Service
CLR
Combined Line and Recording
CLRC Circuit Layout Record Card
CLU
Chartered Life Underwriter
CLUT Color LookUp Table
cm
centimeters
CM
Command Module (Apollo spacecraft) [Space]
CM
Congregation of the Mission
CMC
Communication Machinery Corp.
CMD
Centralized Message Distribution
CMIP Common Management Information Protocol
CMIS Common Management Information Services
CML
Current Model Logic
CMMU Cache/Memory Management Unit
CMOS Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (see MOS)
CMOT Common Management Information Services and Protocol Over TCP/IP
CMRR Common Mode Rejection Ratio
CMS
Circuit Maintenance System
CMSgt Chief Master Sergeant
CMU
Carnegie-Mellon University
CMYK Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blacK
CN
Canadian National [Corporate name, Railroading]
CN/A Customer Name / Address [Telephony]
CNI
Common Network Interface [Telephony, AT&T] (Department of AT&T)
CNN
Cable News Network
CNO
Carbon-Nitrogen-Oxygen [Space]
CNO
Chief of Naval Operations
CNR
Canadian National Railways
CNR
Carrier to Noise Ratio
CNRI Corporation for National Research Initiatives
CNRS Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (French National Center for
Scientific Research)
CNS
Central Nervous System
CNSR Comet Nucleus Sample Return [Space]
CO
Cash Order
CO
Central Office [Telephony]
CO
Colorado
CO
Commanding Officer
CO
Conscientious Objector
C/O
in Care Of
COB
Close Of Business
COBE COsmic Background Explorer [Space]
COBOL COmmon Business Oriented Language
COC
Call of Cthulhu
COCOT Customer Owned, Coin Operated Telephone [Telephony]
COD
Collect On Delivery; Cash On Delivery
CODEC COder-DECoder
COER Central Office Equipment Report
COLA Cost-Of-Living Allowance
COM
Computer Output (on) Microfiche
COM
Computer Output (on) Microfilm
COMAS Central Office Maintenance and Administration System
COMM Communications
COMPACT COMmercial Product ACquisition Team
COMPTEL COMPton TELescope (on GRO) [Space]
COMSAT
Communications Satellite [Space]
CONACYT Consejo Nacional de Cienca Y Tecnologia (Mexican National Council of
Science and Technology)
CONS Connection-Oriented Networking Service
CONS Connection-Oriented Networking Session
CONS CONStruct (LISP)
CORE COntrolled Requirement Expression
CORN COmputer Resource Nucleus
COS
Corporation for Open Systems
COSINE
Cooperation for Open Systems Interconnection Networking in Europe
COSMIC
COmmon System Main InterConnecting frame
COSMIC
COmputer Software Management and Information Center
COSMOS
COmputer System for Mainframe OperationS
COSTAR
Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement [Space]
COT
Card Or Tape (NCR)
CP
Campus Police (MIT, others probably too)
CP
Canadian Pacific
CP
Chemically Pure
CP
Command Post
CP
Command Processor
CP
CoPy
CP
the Canadian Press
CPA
Certified Public Accountant
CPE
Customer Premises Equipment
CPE
Customer Provided Equipment
CPFF Cost Plus Fixed Fee
CPI
Characters Per Inch
CPI
Common Programming Interface
CPL
Combined Programming Language
CPM
Control Program for Microcomputers (sometimes CP/M)
CPM
Control Program Monitor (sometimes CP/M)
CPO
Chief Petty Officer
CPO
Chief Post Office
CPR
Canadian Pacific Railway
CPS
Characters Per Second
CPSR Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
CPT
CaPTain
CPU
Central Processing Unit
CPW
Certified Public Weigher
CQ
Change of Quarters
CR
Carriage Return (ASCII 15 octal)
CRA
Cambridge Redevelopment Authority
CRAF Comet Rendezvous / Asteroid Flyby [Space]
CRAM Card Random Access Memory (NCR, but maybe others)
CRC
Chemical Rubber Company
CRC
Cyclic Redundancy Check
CREG Concentrated Range Extension with Gain
CREN The Corporation for Research and Educational Networking (merge of BITNET
and CSNet)
CRRES Combined Release / Radiation Effects Satellite [Space]
CRRES Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite [NASA]
CRT
Cathode Ray Tube (also generic reference to a terminal)
CRTC Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
C&S
Chivalry & Sorcery
CS
Civil Servant
CS
Computer Science; Computing Science
CS
County Seat
CSA
Confederate States of America
CSAB Computing Sciences Accreditation Board
CSACS Centralized Status, Alarm and Control System
CSC
Computer Sciences Corporation
CSDC Circuit Switched Digital Capability
CSF
Critical Success Factor
CSI
Commercial Systems Integration
CSIS Canadian Security and Intelligence Service
CSL
Coin Supervising Link
CSM
Command and Service Module (Apollo spacecraft) [Space]
CSM
Command Sergeant Major
CSMA Carrier Sense Multiple Access
CSMA/CA Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance
CSMA/CD Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection
CSNET Computer + Science Network (merged with BITNET to make CREN)
CSO
Central Services Organization
CSOC Consolidated Space Operations Center (at Colorado Springs)
CSP
Control Switching Point
CSR
Control and Status Register
CSR
Customer Service Representative [Telephony]
CSRG Computer Systems Research Group
CSRS civil Service Retirement System
CSS
Customer Switching System
CST
Central Standard Time
CSU
Channel Service Unit
CT
Central Time
C&T
Communications & Tracking [Space]
CT
Connecticut
CTC
Canadian Transport Commission
CTC
Centralized Traffic Control [Railroading]
CTD
Computing and Telecommunications Division
CTIO Cerro Tololo Inter-american Observatory
CTIO Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory [Space]
CTNE Compania Telefonica Nacional de Espana
CTS
Clear To Send (EIA RS-232-C)
CTS
Compatible Timesharing System
CTV
Canadian TeleVision network
CU
Close-Up
CUA
Common User Access
CUL
See You Later [Net jargon]
CV
Curriculum Vitae
CW
Car Wars
CW
Chemical Warfare
CW
Child Welfare
CW
Churchwarden
CW
Churdwarden
CW
Continuous Wave
CWO
Cash With Order
CWO
Chief Warrant Officer
CWRU Case Western Reserve University
CXI
Common X-windows Interface
CY
Calendar Year
CYO
Catholic Youth Organization
CZ
Canal Zone
D
Depth
DA
Days after Acceptance
DA
Department of Agriculture
DA
Deposit Account
D/A
Digital to Analog converter
DA
Directory Assistance (/C = computerized, /M = Microfilm) [Telephony]
DA
District Attorney
DA
DAC
DA/C
DACCS
DACS
DAD
DAG
DAL
DA/M
DAP
DAR
DARE
DARPA
DASD
DAT
DATA
DAV
DB
db
dba
DBF
DBME
dbms
DBRAD
DC
DC
DCA
DCA
DCA
DCC
DCCO
DCD
DCE
DCL
DCP
DCTS
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
D&D
DDC
DDCU
DDD
DDL
DDN
DDP
DDS
DDS
DDS
DDS
DDS
DDT
DDT
DDT
DE
DEA
DEAR
Don't Answer [Telephony] (may be more general)
Digital to Analog Converter
Directory Assistance/Computerized
Digital Access Cross Connect System [Telephony] (suspect, see DACS)
Digital Access Cross-connect System [Telephony]
Draft ADdendum
Directed Acyclic Graph
Dedicated Access Line [Telephony]
Directory Assistance/Microfilm
Division Advisory Panel (of NSF (q.v.) DNCRI (q.v.))
Daughters of the American Revolution
Drug Abuse Resistance Education
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (of the DoD, see also ARPA)
Direct Access Storage Device
Digital Audio Tape
Defense Air Transport Administration
Disabled American Veterans
DataBase
decibel(s)
doing business as
DBase Format
DataBase Managment Environment
DataBase Management System (rdbms for Relational ...)
Data Base Relational Application Directory
Direct Current (dc, see also AC)
District of Columbia
Defense Communications Agency
Distributed Communication Architecture
Document Content Architecture
Descriptive Cataloging Committee
Defense Commercial Communications Office
Data Carrier Detect (sometimes CD (q.v.)) (EIA RS-232-C)
Data Communication Equipment
Digital Command Language
Distributed Communications Processor
Dimension Custom Telephone Service
Daredevils
Data Dictionary
Days after Date
Demand Draft
Dishonorable Discharge
Disk Drive
Doctor of Divinity
Dungeons & Dragons
Digital Data Converter
DC-to-DC Converter Unit [Space]
Direct Distance Dialing [Telephony] (principally US, elsewhere STD)
Document Description Language
Defense Data Network
Distributed Data Processing
Dataphone Digital Service [AT&T]
Digital Data Service
Direct Digital Service
Doctor of Dental Science
Doctor of Dental Surgery
DEC Debugging Tape
Di-<something> (pesticide)
Dynamic Debugging Technique
Delaware
Drug Enforcement Agency [US Government]
Department of Energy Acquisition Regulation
DEC
Digital Equipment Corporation [Corporate name]
DECUS Digital Equipment Corporation Users Society
DES
Data Encryption Standard [NIST]
DEW
Distant Early Warning (as in DEW Line)
DF
Damage Free
D/F
Direction Finding
DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross
DFD
Data Flow Diagram
DFE
Data Flow Editor
DFM
Distinguished Flying Medal
DFN
Deutsche Forschungsnetz Verein (German Research Network Association)
DFRF Dryden Flight Research Facility [Space]
DFS
Depth-First Search
DFW
Dallas-Ft.Worth (regional airport)
DG
Data General [Corporate name]
DG
Dei Gratia (by the grace of God)
DG
Director General
DGSC Defense General Supply Center
DHHS Department of Health and Human Services
DHSS british Department of Health and Social Security
DHSS Department of Health and Social Security (British)
DIA
Document Interchange Architecture
DIAD (magnetic) Drum Information Assembler / Dispatcher
DIAL Direct Information Access Line
DIAS Defense Automatic Integrated System
DID
Direct Inward Dialing [Telephony]
DIF
Document Interchange Format
DIN
Deutsches Institut fur Normung
DIRE Dire Is Really Emacs
DIS
Draft International Standard [ISO]
DISA Data Interchange Standards Association
DISOSS
Distributed Office Support System [IBM]
DIY
Do It Yourself
DJ
Disc Jockey
DLA
Defense Logistics Agency
DLI
Data Link Interface(?)
DLL
Data Link Layer [ISO OSI]
DLL
Dial Long Line equipment
DLO
Dead Letter Office
DM
Dungeon Master
DMA
Direct Memory Access
DMD
Doctor of Dental Medicine
DME
Distance Measuring Equipment
DMF
Probably part of an X.400 address in Europe
DMOS Diffusion Metal Oxide Semiconductor (see MOS)
DMSP Defense Meteorological Satellite Program [Space]
DMV
Department of Motor Vehicles
DMV
Department of Motor Vehicles (Calif)
DMZ
DeMilitarized Zone
DNA
DeoxyriboNucleic Acid
DNA
Digital Network Architecture [DEC]
DNCRI [NSF] (q.v.) Division of Networking and Communications Research and
Infrastructure
DNHR Dynamic NonHierarchical Routing
DNIC Data Network Identification Code [Telephony]
DNIS Dialed Number Identification Service (see also DID) [Telephony]
DNL
Director of Naval Laboratories
DNR
Dialed Number Recorder [Telephony]
DNS
Domain Name System
DOA
Dead On Arrival
DOB
Date Of Birth
DOC
Dynamic Overload Control
DOD
Department Of Defense [US Government] (sometimes DoD)
DOE
Department of Energy [US Government]
DOHC Dual OverHead Cams [Automotive]
DOMAIN
Distributed Operating Multi Access Interactive Network (Apollo)
DOS
Disk Operating System
DOT
Department Of Transportation [US Government]
DOT&E Director, Operational Test and Evaluation
DOV
Data Over Voice [Telephony]
DOY
Day of Year
DP
Data Processing
DP
Dial Pulse [Telephony]
DP
Displaced Persons (expelled from native land)
DP
Display Postscript
DP
Double Penetration
DP
Double Play
DP
Draft Proposal
DPA
Delegation of Procurement Authority
DPANS Draft Proposed American National Standard
DPI
Dots Per Inch
DPS
Display PostScript
DQ
Dairy Queen
DQ
Dragon Quest
DQDB Distributed Queue Dual Bus (IEEE 802.6) [Telephony, Networking]
DQL
Database Query Language
DR
Dead Reckoning
DR
Dining Room
DRAM Dynamic Random Access Memory (as opposed to static RAM)
DRD
Data Reading Device
DRE
Directional Reservation Equipment
DRG
Democratic Republic of Germany (East Germany)
DRI
Defense Research Internet
DRI
Digital Research, Incorporated [Corporate name]
d.s. died single [Genealogy]
DS
Double-Sided
DS
Draft Standard
DSA
Dial System Assistance
DSE
Data Structure Editor
DSEE Domain Software Engineering Environment
DSM
Distinguished Service Medal
DSO
Distinguished Service Order
DSP
Decessit Sine Prole (died without issue)
DSP
Digital Signal Processing
DSRI Digital Standard Relational Interface
DSS
Decision Support System
DSS
Direct Station Selection [Telephony]
DST
Daylight Saving Time
DSTN Double SuperTwisted Nematic
DSU
Digital Service Unit
DT
Delirium Tremens
DTE
Data Terminal Equipment
DTF
Dial Tone First payphone [Telephony]
DTMF Dial Tone Multi Frequency [Telephony]
DTP
DeskTop Publishing
DTR
Data Terminal Ready (EIA RS-232-C)
DUI
Driving Under the Influence
DUT
Device Under Test
DV
Deo Vo lente (God willing)
DVM
Digital Volt Meter
DVM
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
DWAPS Defense Warehousing Automated Processing System
DWI
Died Without Issue [Genealogy]
DWI
Driving While Intoxicated
DWIM Do What I Mean
DX
Distance (as in long distance radio communication)
DXT
Data eXtractT facility
d.y. died young [Genealogy]
E
East
E
Espionage
EADASS
Engineering and Administrative Data AcquiSition System
EAFB Edwards Air Force Base [Space]
EAN
Certainly part of an X.400 Address in Europe
EARN European Academic Research Network
EAS
Extended Area Service (or Engineering Admin. System)
EASI European Academic Supercomputer Initiative (of IBM)
EBCDIC
Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
EC
Exchange Carrier [Telephony]
ECAFE Economic Commission for Africa and the Far East
ECASS Electronically Controlled Automatic Switching System
ECASS Export Control Automated Support System
ECC
Error Correction Code
ECC
Error Correction Code (corrects error in memory or transmission)
ECCM Electronic Counter-CounterMeasures
ECDO Electronic Community Dial Office
ECG
ElectroCardioGram
ECL
Emitter Coupled Logic (see also TTL)
ECLSS Environmental Control and Life Support System [Space]
ECM
Electronic Counter Measure
ECM
European Common Market
ECMA European Computer Manufacturers Association
ECO
Ecological
ECO
Electronic Central Office
ECO
Engineering Change Order
ECPA Electronic Communications Privacy Act [US law]
ECS
Environmental Control System [Space]
ECT
ElectroConvulsive Therapy
ECV
Electric Cargo Vehicle [NASA OEXP]
ED&D Expert Dungeons & Dragons
EDGAR Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval
EDI
Electronic Data Interchange
EDIF Electronic Design Interchange Format
EDO
Extended Duration Orbiter [Space]
EDP
Electronic Data Processing
EDS
Electronic Data Systems
EDT
Eastern Daylight Time
EDTA Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetic Acid
EDTCC Electronic Data Transmission Communications Central
EE
Electrical Engineer
EE
Electrical or Electronics Engineer
EEC
European Economic Community
EEC
European Economic Comunity
EEG
ElectroEncephaloGram
EEL
Epsilon Extension Language
E&EO Errors and Omissions Excepted
EEPROM
Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory
EFF
Electronic Frontier Foundation
e.g. ??? (Latin(?): for example)
EGA
Enhanced Graphics Adapter
EGP
Exterior Gateway Protocol [Internet]
EGRET Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (on GRO) [Space]
EHF
Extremely High Frequency (30-300GHz)
EIA
Electronic Industries Association
EINE EINE Is Not Emacs
EISA Extended Industry-Standard Architecture
EISS European Intelligence Support System
EKG
ElectroKardioGramm (see ECG)
EL
ElectroLuminescent (as in display)
ELF
Extremely Low Frequency
ELO
Electric Light Orchestra
ELP
Emerson, Lake and Palmer (or Powell)
ELV
Expendable Launch Vehicle [Space]
E&M
``Ear and Mouth''; receive and transmit leads of a signalling system
EM
Enlisted Man (see EW)
EMA
Electronic Mail Association
EMACS Editor MACroS
EMACS Eight Megabytes And Constantly Swapping
E-MAIL
Electronic MAIL
EMF
ElectroMotive Force
EMF
ElectroMotive Force (voltage)
EMI
ElectroMagnetic Interference
EMP
Electromagnetic Pulse
EMPRESS EnvironMental Pulse Radiation Environment Simulator for Ships
EMR
ElectroMagetic Response
EMR
ElectroMagnetic Response
EMS
Electronic Message System
EMS
Extended Memory Specification
EMT
Emergency Medical Technician
EMU
ElectroMagnetic Unit
EMU
Extravehicular Mobility Unit [Space]
ENIAC Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator
ENS
ENSign
EO
End Office [Telephony]
EO
Erasable Optical
EOF
End Of File
EOM
End Of Month
EOS
Earth Observing System [Space]
EOWG Engineering and Operations Working Group (under FNC)
EP
Experience Points
EP
Extended Play
EPA
Environmental Protection Agency
EPOS Engineering and Project-management Oriented Support system
EPRI Electric Power Research Institute
EPROM Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory
EPS
Encapsulated PostScript
EPT
Empire of the Petal Throne
EQ
Educational Quotient (see IQ)
ER
Emergency Room
ERA
Earned Run Average
ERA
Entity-Relationship-Attribute
ERA
Equal Rights Amendment
ERD
Entity-Relation Diagram
ERE
Entity Relationship Editor
ERT
Earth Resources Technology [Space]
ES
Expert System
ESA
European Space Agency
ESA
European Space Agency [Space]
ESAC Electronic Systems Assistance Center
ESDI Enhanced Standard Device Interface
ESE
East South East
ESF
Extended Superframe Format [Telephony]
ESM
Electronic Support Measures
ESnet Energy Sciences network (DoE) [Networking]
ESO
European Southern Observatory
ESO
European Southern Observatory [Space]
ESP
Extra Sensory Perception
ESPS Entropic Signal Processing System
ESS
Electronic Switching System [Telephony]
ESSEX Experimental Solid State EXchange
EST
Eastern Standard Time
ET
Eastern Time
ET
Extra Terrestrial [Space]
ET
(Shuttle) External Tank [Space]
ETA
Estimated Time of Arrival
ET/ACC
External Tank/Aft Cargo Carrier (see also ET) [Space]
ETC
Et cetera, and so on...
ETD
Estimated Time of Departure
ETFD Electronic Toll Fraud Device [Telephony]
ETH
Eidgn\:oessiche Technische Hochschule (Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology)
ETLA Extended Three Letter Acronym [Space]
ETO
Earth-to-Orbit [Space]
ETR
Eastern Test Range [Space]
ETS
Electronic Translator System
ETV
Education TeleVision
EUUG European Unix User Group
EUV
Extreme UltraViolet
EUV
Extreme UltraViolet [Space]
EUVE Extreme UltraViolet Explorer [Space]
EVA
ExtraVehicular Activity
EVA
ExtraVehicular Activity [Space]
EVX
Electronic Voice eXchange
EW
Electronic Warfare
EW
Enlisted Woman (see EM)
EWOS European Workshop for Open Systems
FA
Football Association (British soccer--a word derived from Association)
FAA
Federal Aviation Agency [US Government]
FACD Foreign Area Customer Dialing
FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization [US Government]
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions [Space]
FAR
Federal Acquisition Regulations
FAS
Foreign Agricultural Service
FAS
Free Alongside Ship
FASST Flexible Architecture Standard System Technology
FAST Fast Auroral SnapshoT explorer [Space]
FAT
Foreign Area Translation
FAX
FAcsimile
FB
Freight Bill
FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation [US Government]
FCC
Federal Communications Commission [US Government]
FCC
Federal Computer Conference
FCCSET
Federal Coordinating Committee for Science, Education and Technology
(under OSTP) {Maybe Eng. for Edu.??}
FCO
Field Change Order
FCO
Frequency Controlled Oscillator
FCS
Frame Check Sequence
FDA
Food and Drug Administration [US Government]
FDDI Fiber Digital Data Interface
FDDI Fiber Distributed Data Interface
FDHD Floppy Drive High Density
FDIC Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
FDIC Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation [US Government]
FDM
Frequency Division Multiplexing
FDR
Franklin Delano Roosevelt [US President]
FE
Field Engineer (see also CE, SE)
FEA
Finite Element Analysis
FEDSIM
FEDeral Systems Integration and Management center
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
FEMF Foreign EMF (q.v.) (a.k.a. Cross Battery) [Telephony]
FEPC Fair Employment Practices Commission
FEPG Federal Engineering Planning Group (of FNC under EOWG, originally of
FRICC)
FERS Federal Employees Retirement System
FET
Federal Excise Tax
FET
Field Effect Transistor
FFA
Future Farmers of America
FFT
Fast Fourier Transform
FFT
Fast Fourier Transform [Space]
FG-A Feature Group A [Telephony] (Line Side termination for LD carriers)
FG-B Feature Group B [Telephony] (Trunk Side termination for LD carriers (aka
ENFIA B), 950 service)
FG-D Feature Group D [Telephony] (Trunk Side termination for LD carriers, 1+
service)
FGS
Fine Guidance Sensors (on HST) [Space]
FHA
Federal Home Administration
FHA
Future Homemakers of America
FIB
Focused Ion Beam
FICA Federal Insurance Contributions Act
FIDO Fog Investigation Dispersal Operation
FIFO First In First Out (as in registers and buffers)
FILO First In Last Out (see also FIFO)
FIMS Forms Interface Management System
FINE FINE Is Not Emacs
FIO
Frequency In and Out
FIPS Federal Information Processing Standard
FIR
Far InfraRed [Space]
FIR
Finite Impulse Response
FIRMR Federal Information Resource Management Regulation
FIT
Federal Information Technologies, inc.
FITS Flexible Image Transport System [Space]
FIX
Federal Inter-agency eXchange [Networking]
FL
Florida
FLACC Full Level Algol Checkout Compiler
FLEA Four Letter Extended Acronym
FLL
Fixed Loss Loop [Telephony]
FLOP FLoating point OPeration
FLOPS FLoating-point OPerations per Second
FLRA Federal Labor Relations Authority
FM
Frequency Modulation
FMB
Federal Maritime Board
FMCS Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
FMR
Follow Me Roaming [Telephony]
FMS
Financial Management Service (Treasury Dept) [US Government]
FMS
Forms Management System
FNC
Federal Networking Council (formerly FRICC) [US Government] (under OSTP)
FO
Foreign Office
FO
Forward Observer
FOAC Federal Office Automation Center
FOB
Free On Board
FOB
Full Of Bull (aperiodical of) [TMRC]
FOC
Faint Object Camera (on HST) [Space]
FOC
Free Of Charge
FOIA Freedom Of Information Act
FOIMS Field Office Information Management System
FOIRL Fiber Optic Inter(?) Repeater(?) Link(?) [Ethernet]
FOOBAR
See FUBAR [Net jargon]
FOR
Free On Rail
FORCS Faa's Operational Reporting Communication System
FORD Fix Or Repair Daily [Humor]
FORD Found On Road Dead [Humor]
FORTRAN FORmula TRANslator
FOS
Faint Object Spectrograph (on HST) [Space]
FOSE Federal Office Systems Exposition
FOT
Fiber Optic Transceiver [Ethernet]
FOT
Free On Truck
FOV
Field Of View
FPA
Floating Point Accelerator
FPC
Fish Protein Concentrate
FPE
Floating Point Engine
FPHA Federal Public Housing Authority
FPLA Field Programmable Logic Array (see PLA)
FPM
Feet Per Minute
FPO
Field Post Office
FPO
Fleet Post Office
fps
Feet Per Second
FPU
Floating Point Unit
FQDN Fully Qualified Domain Name [TCP/IP] (DNS)
FR
Frame Relay [Telephony, Networking]
FRACTAL FRACTional dimensionAL
FRED Fred Resembles Emacs Deliberately
FRG
Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
FRICC Federal Research Internet Coordinating Committee (now FNC, q.v.)
[Networking, US Government]
FROG Free Rocket Over Ground
FRPG Fantasy Role Playing Game
FRS
Federal Reserve System
FS
Field Service
FS
File System
FS
Full Standard
FSF
Free Software Foundation
FSK
Frequency Shift Keying
FSLIC Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation
FSS
Federal Supply Service
FSW
Forward Swept Wings
Ft
Foot
FTAM File Transfer And Management (ISO upscale FTP)
FTC
Federal Trade Commission
FTL
Faster Than Light
FTP
File Transfer Protocol (esp. of the TCP/IP suite)
FTS
Federal Telecommunications System [Telephony, US Government]
FTS
Flight Telerobotic Servicer [Space]
FUBAR F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition/Repair
FUBAR Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition/Repair
FUSE Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer [Space]
FW
Fringeworthy
FWD
Front Wheel Drive
FWHM Full Width at Half Maximum [Space]
FX
Foriegn eXchange [Telephony]
FY
Fiscal Year
FYI
For Your Information
G
General audiences [Movie rating]
G
Gravity
GA
Gamblers Anonymous
GA
General Assembly
GA
General Average
GA
General of the Army
GA
Georgia
GAAP Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
GAB
Group Audio Bridging [Telephony]
Gaia Earth's self-sustaining Biosphere (Not an acronym, from some ancient
language, I think)
GAN
Global Area Network
GAO
General Accounting Office [US Government]
GAR
Grand Army of the Republic
GARR Gruppo Arminizzazione Rete por la Ricerca (Italian Research Network
Harmonization Group)
GAS
Get-Away Special [Space]
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
GAW
Guaranteed Annual Wage
GAW
Guarenteed Annual Wage
GB
Gangbusters
GB
GigaByte
GB
Great Britain
GBIP General Purpose Interface Bus
GBT
Green Bank Telescope [Space]
GC
Garbage Collection (LISP)
GC
Gas Chromatograph (or Chromatography)
GCA
Ground Controlled Approach
GCC
Gnu C Compiler
GCD
Ground Controlled Descent
GCL
Graphics Command Language
GCM
General Court Martial
GCR
Group-Coded Recording (magnetic tape, 6250 bpi)
GCT
Greenwich Civil Time
GCVS General Catalog of Variable Stars [Space]
GDB
Gnu DeBugger
GDP
Gross Domestic Product
GDS
Great Dark Spot [Space]
GE
General Electric
GEM
Giotto Extended Mission [Space]
GEM
Graphics Environment Manager
GEO
Geosynchronous Earth Orbit [Space]
GHQ
General HeadQuarters
GHRS Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (on HST) [Space]
GHz
Giga HertZ (unit of frequency, 1,000,000,000 cycles per second)
GI
Galvanized Iron
GI
Gastro Intestinal (as in upper GI)
GI
General Issue
GI
Government Issue
GID
Group ID [UNIX]
GIF
Graphics Interchange Format
GIGO Garbage In Garbage Out
GIN
Graphics INput
GISS Goddard Institute for Space Studies
GKS
Graphical Kernel Standard
GKS
Graphics Kernel System
GM
Game Master
GM
General Manager
GM
General Motors [Corporate name, Automobile]
GM
Guided Missile
GMBH Gesellschaft Mit Beschraenkter Haftung
GMC
Giant Molecular Cloud [Space]
GMD
Gesellschaft f\:ur Mathematik und Datenverarbeitung (German Institute for
Mathematics and Data Processing)
GMRT Giant Meter-wave Radio Telescope [Space]
GMT
Greenwich Mean Time (also called UT)
GNP
Gross National Product
GNU
GNU's Not Unix
GOES Geostationary Orbiting Environmental Satellite [Space]
GOES Geostationary Orbiting Environmental Satellites [Space]
GOSIP Government Open Systems Interconnection Profile (calls for government
procurement of ISO/CCITT products)
GOSIP Government OSI Profile
GP
General Practitioner
GP
General Purpose (RR engines and origin of Jeep) [Railroading, Automobile]
GPC
General Purpose Computer [Space]
GPI
Graphics Programming Interface
GPIB General Purpose Interface Bus
GPIB General-Purpose Interface Bus
GPL
GNU General Public Licence
GPO
General Post Office
GPO
Government Printing Office
GPS
Global Positioning System
GPS
Global Positioning System [Space]
GQ
General Quarters
GRB
Gamma Ray Burst(er)
GREP Global Regular Expression Print, g/re/p, (UNIX command)
GREP Global Regular Expression Print [UNIX]
GRO
Gamma Ray Observatory [Space]
GRS
Gamma Ray Spectrometer (on Mars Observer) [Space]
GRS
Great Red Spot [Space]
GS
General Schedule
GS
Glide Slope
GSA
General Services Administration
GSA
General Services Adminstration [US Government]
GSA
Girl Scouts of America
GSBCA General Services administration Board of Contract Appeals
GSC
Guide Star Catalog (for HST) [Space]
GSFC Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt, MD) [NASA, Space]
GSI
Gesellschaft f\:ur Schwerionenforschung (German Federal Research Institute
for Heavy Ion Research)
GSM
Global System Mobile
GSM
Groupe Speciale Mobile (Committee Designing preceding)
GSTS Ground-based Surveillance and Tracking System
GT
Gross Ton
GTE
General Telephone and Electric [Corporate name]
GTO
Geostationary Transfer Orbit [Space]
GTSI Government Technology Services, inc.
GUI
Graphical User Interface
GW
Gamma World
GWEN Ground Wave Emergency Network
GWM
Generic Window Manager [X]
H
Harn
H
Height
HACD Home Area Customer Dialing
HAL
Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer (movie 2001)
HAM
Hold And Modify
HAO
High Altitude Observatory [Space]
Hb
HemogloBin
HBM
Her British Majesty; His British Majesty
HBO
Home Box Office
HC
Holy Communion
HC
House of Commons
HCFA Health Care Financing Administration
HCFC hydrochlorofluorocarbon [Chemical]
HCL
High Cost of Living
HD
Hard Disk
HD
Heavy Duty
HD
Henry Draper catalog entry [Space]
HDA
Head Disk Assembly (in winchester disk drives)
HDBV Host Data Base View
HDL
High Density Lipoprotein
HDLC High-level Data Link Control [Networking]
HDTV High Definition Television
HE
His Eminence
HE
His Excellency
HEAO High Energy Astronomical Observatory [Space]
HEDM High Energy-Density Matter [Space]
HEMP Help End Marijuana Prohibition
HEO
High Earth Orbit [Space]
HEPnet
High Energy Physics network [Networking]
HERO Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Ordnance
HF
High Fantasy
HF
High Frequency (3-30MHz)
HFE
Human Factors Engineering
HFS
Hierarchical File System
HGA
High Gain Antenna [Space]
HHS
(US Department of) Health and Human Services
HI
Hawaii
HIIPS Hud Integrated Information Processing Services
HLC
Heavy Lift Capability [Space]
HLL
High-Level Language
HLV
Heavy Lift Vehicle [Space]
HMC
Halley Multicolor Camera (on Giotto) [Space]
HMOS High performance Metal Oxide Semiconductor (see MOS)
HMS
His/Her Majesty's Ship
HMT
His/Her Majesty's Transport
HNPA Home Numbering Plan Area [Telephony]
HOBIS HOtel Billing Information System
HOL
High-Order System
HOTOL HOrizontal Take-Off and Landing
HP
Hewlett Packard, Inc. [Corporate name]
HP
High Pressure
HP
Higher Power (sort of an AA "in" term, usually God)
HP
Hit Points
HP
HorsePower
HPGe High Purity Germanium
HPL/T High-Productivity Languages/Tools
HQ
HeadQuarters
HR
Hertzsprung-Russell (diagram) [Space]
HR
House of Representatives
HRH
Her Royal Highness
HRH
His Royal Highness
HRI
High Resolution Imager (on ROSAT) [Space]
HS
High School
HSB
Hue, Saturation, Brightness
HSP
High Speed Photometer (on HST) [Space]
HST
Hawaiian Standard Time
HST
Hubble Space Telescope [Space]
HT
High Tension (as in electric power transmission)
HTK
Hits To Kill
HUAC House Unamerican Activities Committee
HUD
Heads Up Display
HUD
Housing and Urban Development [US Government]
HUPD Harvard University Police Department
HUT
Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (ASTRO package) [Space]
HV
High Voltage
HVAC Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
HW2000
Highway 2000
HWM
High-Water Mark
Hz
IAB
IAEA
IANA
IATA
IAU
IAUC
IBM
IBM
IBM
IBT
IC
IC
ICB
ICBM
ICE
ICE
ICI
ICJ
ICL
ICMP
ICP
ICP
ICRC
ID
ID
IDA
IDA
IDA
IDDD
IDE
IDF
IDL
IDV
i.e.
IE
IEC
IEE
IEEE
IETF
IF
IFB
IFC
IFC
IFF
IFF
IFLA
IFR
IGES
IGM
IGY
IGY
IHP
IHS
IIA
IIE
IIHF
IIL
ILO
ILS
ILV
HertZ (unit of frequency, cycles per second)
Internet Activities Board [Networking]
International Atomic Energy Agency
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA@ISI.EDU)
International Air Transport Association
International Astronomical Union [Space]
IAU Circular [Space]
Ingrained Batch Mentality
International Business Machines, Inc. [Corporate name]
Itty Bitty Machines
Illinois Bell Telephone
Integrated Circuit
Interexchange Carrier [Telephony] (see also IEC, IXC)
Interstate Computer Bank
InterContinental Ballistic Missile
In-Circuit Emulator
International Cometary Explorer [Space]
Imperial Chemical Industries
International Court of Justice
International Computers Ltd.
Internet Control Message Protocol
Integrated Channel Processor
Inventory Control Points
International Cosmic Ray Conference
Idaho
IDentification
Intercommunication Data Areas
International Dark-sky Association [Space]
International Development Association
International Direct Distance Dial [Telephony]
Interactive Development Environments, inc
Intermediate Distributing Frame [Telephony]
Interactive Data Language [Space]
Interlibrational Derived Vehicle [Space]
???? (Latin(?): in other words (?))
Indo-European
Inter-Exchange Carrier [Telephony] (see also IC, IXC)
Institute of Electrical Engineers [UK]
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
Internet Engineering Task Force
Intermediate Frequency (as in IF stage)
Invitation For Bids
International Finance Corporation
International Freighting Corporation
Identification - Friend or Foe
Interchange File Format
International Federation of Library Associations
Instrument Flight Rules [Aviation]
Initial Graphics Exchange Standard
InterGalactic Medium [Space]
International Geophysical Year
International Geophysical Year [Space]
Indicated HorsePower
Integrated Hospital Support
Information Industry Association
Institute of Industrial Engineers
International Ice Hockey Federation
Integrated Injection Logic
International Labor Organization
Instrument Landing System
Industrial Launch Vehicle [Space]
IMF
International Monetary Fund
IMHO In My Humble Opinion [Net jargon]
IMO
In My Opinion [Net jargon]
IMP
Interface Message Processor [ARPANET/MILNET] (replaced by PSN)
IMSL International Mathematical Subroutine Library
IN
Indiana
INADS INitialization and ADministration System [Telephony]
INRA Iesus Nazerenus Rex Iudaeorum (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews)
INRIA Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et Automatique
INS
Immigration and Naturalization Service
In-situ In Place [Latin]
INSTITUTE
INSTITUTE's Name Shows That It's Totally Unrelated To EMACS
INTAP INteroperability Technology Association for information Processing
INWATS
INward Wide Area Telephone Service [Telephony]
I/O
Input/Output
IO
Input/Output (sometimes I/O)
IOC
International Operating Center [Telephony, US]
IOD
Identified Outward Dialing
IOOF International Order of Odd Fellows
IOTA Infrared-Optical Telescope Array [Space]
IOTA International Occultation Timing Association [Space]
IOU
I Owe you(U)
IP
Information Provider [Telephony]
IP
Innings Pitched
IP
Intermediate Point
IP
Internet Protocol
IPC
Inter-Process Communication
IPE
Integrated Programming Environment
IPMS InterPersonal Message Services
IPS
Inertial Pointing System [Space]
IPS
Information Processing Standards
IPSE Integrated Project-Support Environment
IQ
Intelligence Quotient (see EQ)
IR
Index Register
IR
Infra-Red
IRA
Individual Retirement Account
IRA
Irish Republican Army
IRAF Image Reduction and Analysis Facility [Space]
IRAS InfraRed Astronomical Satellite [Space]
IRBM Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile
IRDS Information Resource Dictionary Standard
IRDS InfraRed Detection Set
IRE
Institute of Radio Engineers (old name for the now IEEE, which see)
IRM
Information Resources Management
IRMS Information Resources Management Service
IRS
Internal Revenue Service
IRTF Internet Research Task Force
IS
Information Systems
IS
International Standard [ISO] (Beyond the DIS Stage)
ISA
Industry-Standard Architecture
ISAM Indexed Sequential Access Method
ISAS Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (Japan) [Space]
ISBD International Bibliographic Description
ISC
Information Services Center
ISC
International Switching Center
ISCH Interstitial-Cell-Stimulating Hormone (same as LH)
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network [Telephony]
ISDT Integrated Systems Development Tool
ISEE International Sun Earth Explorer (usually ISEE-3)
ISF
Information Systems Factory
ISFUG Integrated Software Federal User Group
ISI
Information Sciences Institute
ISM
InterStellar Medium [Space]
ISO
Infrared Space Observatory [Space]
ISO
International Organization for Standardization
ISO
International Standards Organization [Space]
ISODE ISO Development Environment
ISOO Information Security Oversight Office
ISPM International Solar Polar Mission
ISPM International Solar Polar Mission (now Ulysses) [Space]
ISR
Institute of Snow Research
ISRG Independent Space Research Group
ISV
Independent Software Vendor
ISY
International Space Year [Space]
IT
Industrial Technology
IT
Information Technology
ITC
Inter-Task Communication
ITS
Incompatible Timesharing System
ITT
International Telephone and Telegraph
ITU
International Telecommunications Union
ITUSA IT Users Standards Association
IUE
International Ultraviolet Explorer [Space]
IUS
Inertial Upper Stage
IUS
Inertial Upper Stage [Space]
IUV
Interlibrational Utility Vehicle [Space]
IXC
Inter-eXchange Carrier [Telephony] (see also IC, IEC)
IXI
International (pan-European) X.25 Infrastructure
JACM Journal of the Association for Computing Machinery
JANET Joint Academic Network (UK)
JBS
John Birch Society
JC
Jesus Christ
JC
Joint Compound (plumbing)
JC
Julius Caesar
JC
Junior College
JCA
Jewelry Crafts Association
JCAC Joint Civil Affairs Committee
JCAE Joint Committee on Atomic Energy
JCEE Joint Council on Economic Education
JCET Joint Council on Educational Television
JCS
Joint Chiefs of Staff
JD
Justice Department
JDS
John Dewey Society
JEM
Japanese Experiment Module (for SSF) [Space]
JES
John Ericsson Society
JET
Joint European Torus (fusion research)
JFK
John F. Kennedy
JFK
John F. Kennedy (international airport)
JFMIP Joint Financial Management Improvement Program
JGR
Journal of Geophysical Research
JGR
Journal of Geophysical Research [Space]
JI
Justice, Inc.
JIC
Joint Intelligence Center
JIC
Just in Case
JILA Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics [Space]
JIM
Job Information Memorandum
JINTACCS
Joint INteroperability of TActical Command and Control Systems
JIS
Japan Industrial Standards
JISC Japanese Industrial Standards Committee
JIT
Just In Time
JMS
John Milton Society
JNT
Joint Network Team (UK)
JO
Job Order
JO
Junior Officer
JOVE Jonathan's Own Version of Emacs
JOVIAL
Jules Own Version of the International Algorithmic Language
JPL
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
JPL
Jet Propulsion Laboratory [Space]
JRC
Junior Red Cross
JSC
Johnson Space Center
JSC
Johnson Space Center (NASA) [Space]
JSD
Jackson System Development
JSRC Joint Services Review Committee
JTIDS Joint Tactical Information Distribution Systems
JV
Junior Varsity
JvNC John von Neumann (Super Computer) Center
JvNCnet John von Neumann (Super Computer) Center network
K
Kilo- (metric 1000)
K9
canine (K9 corps - army dogs)
KAIST Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
KAO
Kuiper Airborne Observatory [Space]
KB
KiloByte
KC
King's Counsel (QC when queen reigning)
KC
Knights of Columbus
KD
Kiln Dried
KD
Knocked Down
KDCI Key Display Call Indicator
KERMIT
Kl-10 Error-free Reciprocal Micro Interconnect over Tty lines
KET
Kentucky Educational Television
KHz
Kilo HertZ (unit of frequency, 1000 cycles per second)
KI
Kiwanis International
KIA
Killed In Action
KIAS Knot Indicated Air Speed
Km
Kilometers
KO
Knock Out [Boxing, Electric]
KP
Key Pulse [Telephony]
KP
Kitchen Police
KPNO Kitt Peak National Observatory
KPO
KeyPunch Operator
KQC
King's College London
K&R
Kernighan and Ritchie, the c programming language
KS
King's Scholar
KSC
Kennedy Space Center (NASA) [Space]
KSU
Key System Unit [Telephony]
KTB
Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary (from German) [Space]
KTS
Key Telephone System [Telephony]
KTU
Key Telephone Unit [Telephony]
KWIC Key Word In Context
KY
Kentucky
L1
Lagrange Point #1 35,000 Miles above moon [Space]
L2
Lagrange Point #2 40,000 Miles behind moon [Space]
L3
Lagrange Point #3 (?? 35,000 Miles below moon) [Space]
L4
Lagrange Point #4 240,000 mile Earth orbit [Space]
L5
Lagrange Point #5 240,000 mile Earth orbit [Space]
LA
Los Angeles
LA
Louisiana
LA
Low Altitude
LADAR LAser Detection And Ranging
LAM
Master of Liberal Arts
LAMA Local Automatic Message Accounting [Telephony]
LAN
Local Apparent Noon
LAN
Local Area Network
LANL Los Alamos National Laboratory [Space]
LANL Los Alamos (NM) National Laboratory
LAPB
LAPD
LAPD
LAR
LaRC
LASER
LAT
LATA
LAX
LB
LB
LBHS
LBL
LBS
LC
LCD
LCD
LCDR
LCL
LCL
LCM
LCM
LCS
LCT
LD
LDC
LDEF
LDF
LDL
LDX
LEAP
LEC
LED
LEM
LEO
LEP
LeRC
LEST
LF
LFSA
LGA
LGM
LH
LH
LH
LH
LHC
LHD
LHS
LI
LIFIA
LIFO
LINC
LISA
LISP
LIU
LL
LL
LLB
LLD
LLN
Link Access Procedure (Balanced)
Link Access Procedure (??)
Los Angeles (CA, US) Police Department
Local Acquisition Radar
Langley Research Center (NASA) [Space]
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
Local Apparent Time
Local Access and Transport Area [Telephony]
Los Angeles International Airport
Light Bomber
pound (LiBra)
Long Beach High School
Lawrence Berkeley (Calif.) Labs
Pounds
inductor-Capacitor circuit (as in filters, L is symbol inductance)
Liquid Crystal Display
Lowest Common Denominator
Lieutenant Commander
Less than Carload Lot [Railroading]
Lunar Cargo Lander [NASA OEXP]
Least Common Multiple
Life Cycle Management
Laboratory for Computer Science (of MIT)
Landing Craft Tanks
Long Distance [Telephony]
Long Distance Carrier [Telephony]
Long Duration Exposure Facility [Space, NASA]
Large Deployable Reflector [Space]
Low Density Lipoprotein
Long Distance eXtender [Telephony]
Low-power Enhanced At Portable
Local Exchange Carrier [Telephony]
Light Emitting Diode
Lunar Excursion Module (a.k.a. LM) (Apollo spacecraft) [Space]
Low Earth Orbit [Space]
Large Electron-Positron collider [CERN]
Lewis Research Center (NASA) [Space]
Large Earth-based Solar Telescope [Space]
Low Frequency (30-300KHz)
List of Frequently Seen Acronyms (!) [Space]
Low Gain Antenna [Space]
Little Green Men [Space]
Left Hand
Liquid Hydrogen (also LH2 or LHX) [Space]
Lower Half
Luteinizing Hormone (same as ISCH)
Large Hadron Collider [CERN]
Litterarum Humaniorum Doctor (doctor of human letters)
Left Hand Side
Long Island
Laboratoire d'Informatique Fondamentale et d'Intelligence Artificielle
Last In First Out (see FIFO)
Laboratory INstrument Computer
Large Installation Systems Administration (USENIX specific?)
LISt Processing Language
Line Interface Unit
Late Latin
Long Lines [Telephony]
Legum Baccalaureus (bachelor of laws)
Legum doctor (doctor of laws)
Line Link Network [Telephony]
LLNL
LLO
LLOX
LLP
LM
LM
LMC
LMC
LMOS
LN2
LNG
LOA
LOFT
LOOPS
LOP
LOSF
LOTS
LOX
LOX
LP
LP
LPC
LPDA
LPF
LPG
LPG
LPL
LPN
LPP
LPR
LPT
LPV
LRB
LRBM
LRC
LRU
LRU
LRV
LS
LS
LS
LSAP
LSB
LSB
LSC
LSC
LSD
LSD
LSD
LSI
LSP
LSR
LSS
LSS
LSSD
LT
LT
LTC
LTJG
LTL
LTP
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories
Low Lunar Orbit [Space]
Lunar Liquid Oxygen [Space]
Line Link Pulsing [Telephony]
Life Master (Contract Bridge ranking)
Lunar Module (a.k.a. LEM) (Apollo spacecraft) [Space]
Large Magellanic Cloud (see SMC)
Large Magellanic Cloud [Space]
Line Maintenance Operations System [Telephony, AT&T]
Liquid N2 (Nitrogen) [Space]
Liquified Natural Gas
Lands of Adventure
Launch Operations Flight Test [Space]
Lisp Object Oriented Programming System
Lines Of Position
Lunar Orbit Staging Facility [Space]
Low Overhead Timesharing System
Liquid Oxygen
Liquid OXygen [Space]
Long Play(ing) (record)
Low Pressure
Linear Predictive Coding (speech processing)
Link Problem Determination Aid
League for Programming Freedom
Liquefied Petroleum Gas
Low Pressure Gas
Lunar Personnel Lander [NASA OEXP]
Licensed Practical Nurse
Licensed Program Products
Line PrinteR
Lunar Propellant Tanker [NASA OEXP]
Lunar Piloted Vehicle [NASA OEXP]
Liquid Rocket Booster [Space]
Long Range Ballistic Missile
Longitudinal Redundancy Character
Least Recently Used
Line Replaceable Unit
Light Rail Vehicle [Railroading]
Left Side
Letter Signed
Locus Sigilli (place of seal)
Logical(?, maybe Link) Service Access Point [OSI, Networking]
Least Significant Bit; Least Significant Byte
Lower Side Band
Lecture Series Committee (of MIT)
LightSpeed C
Least Significant Digit
LySergic acid Diethylamide
pounds (Libra), shillings (Sestertii), and (old) pence (Denarii)
Large Scale Integration
LightSpeed Pascal
Local Standard of Rest [Space]
Life Support System
Loop Switching System
Level-Sensitive Scan Detection
Long Ton
Low Tension
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Junior Grade
Less than Truckload Lot
Lunar Transient Phenomenon [Space]
LUG
Local Users Group
LUT
Look-Up Table
LWM
Low-Water Mark
LWT
London Weekend Television [Corporate name]
LZ
Landing Zone
M
Mega- (metric 10^6)
m
meter(s)
m
milli- (metric 1/1000)
M
Miniatures
MA
Massachusetts [US state postal designation]
MAAP Maintenance And Administration Panel
MAC
an MIT interdepartmental lab (stands for many things) (renamed to LCS)
MAC
Media Access Control
MAC
Medium Access Control
MAC
Military Air Command
MACSYMA project MAC's SYmbolic MAnipulation System
MAD
Mutual Assured Destruction
MADD Mothers Against Drunk Driving
MAG
Magazine
MAN
Metropolitan Area Network
MAP
Manufacturing Automation Protocol
MAP/TOP Manufacturing Automation Protocol/Technical Office Protocol
MARBI MAchine Readable form of Bibliographic Information
MARC MAchine Readable card Catalog
MARS Multiuser Archival and Retrieval System
MASC Multiple Award Schedule Contract
MASER Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
MASH Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
MAST Multi-Application SOnar Trainer
MAT-CALS
Marine Air Traffic-Control And Landing System
MAU
Math Acceleration Unit
MAU
Media Access Unit
MAU
Medium Access Unit
MB
Manned Base [Space]
MB
MegaByte
MBA
Master Business Administration
MBTA Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
MC
Master of Ceremonies
MCA
Micro Channel Architecture
MCAE Mechanical Computer Aided Engineering
MCC
Master Control Console
MCC
Microelectronics and Computer technology Corporation
MCC
Mission Control Center [Space]
MCP
Master Control Program
MCP/AS
Master Control Program/Advanced System
MCPO Master Chief Petty Officer
MCSV Mars Crew Sortie Vehicle [NASA OEXP]
MD
Doctor of Medicine
MD
Maryland
MD
Maryland [US state postal designation]
MD
Medical Doctor
MD
Months after Date
MDAS Magnetic Drum Auxiliary Sender
MDC
Metropolitan District Commision (Mass State Agency)
MDE
Modular Design Environment
MDF
Main Distribution Frame [Telephony]
MDRE Mass Driver Reaction Engine [Space]
MDT
Mean Down Time
ME
Maine
ME
Mechanical Engineer
MECO Main Engine CutOff [Space, Shuttle]
MEd
Master of EDucation
MERP Middle-Earth Role Playing
MeV
Million Electron Volts
MF
Medium Frequency (300-3000KHz)
MF
Middle French
MF
Multi-Frequency [Telephony]
MFA
Master Fine Arts
MFA
Museum of Fine Arts [Boston]
MFJ
Modified Final Judgment [Telephony]
MFLOPS
Million FLoating-point OPerations per Second (see also FLOPS)
MFM
Modified Frequency Modulation
MFS
Macintosh File System
MG
Machine Gun
MG
Major General
MG
Military Government
MGH
Massachusetts General Hospital
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn Mayer [Corporate name]
MHD
MagnetoHydroDynamics
MHS
Mail Handling System [ISO]
MHz
Mega HertZ (unit of frequency, 1,000,000 cycles per second)
MI
Michigan
MI
Military Intelligence
MIA
Missing In Action
MIB
Management Information Base
MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface
MIFASS
Marine Integrated Fire And Support System
MILNET
MILitary NETwork
MIM
Morality In Media
MIMD Multiple Instruction, Multiple Data
MINCE MINCE Is Not Complete Emacs
MINE MINE Is Not Emacs (but it is mine)
MIPS Million Instructions Per Second
Mir
Peace [Russian]
MIRV Multiple Independently-Targetable Reentry Vehicle
MIS
Management Information System
MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
ML
Middle Latin
mL
milliliter(s)
MLA
Member of Legislative Assembly (see MPP)
MLD
Minimum Lethal Dose
MLL
Mars Logistics Lander [NASA OEXP]
MLS
Microwave Landing System
MLS
Multi-Level Security
MLV
Medium Lift Vehicle [NASA OEXP]
MM
Maryknoll Missioners
mm
millimeters
MMES Martin Marietta Energy Systems
MMFS Manufacturing Message Format Standard
MMH
MonoMethyl Hydrazine [Space]
MMM
see 3M
MMT
Multiple Mirror Telescope [Space]
MMU
Manned Maneuvering Unit [Space]
MMU
Memory Management Unit
MMW
Multi-Mega Watt [Space]
MN
Minnesota
MNA
Member of National Assembly (Quebec)
MNP
Microcom Networking Protocol [Corporate name]
MNRAS Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society [Space]
MO
Mail Order
MO
Medical Officer
MO
Missouri
MO
Modus Operandi
MO
Money Order
MOC
Mars Observer Camera (on Mars Observer) [Space]
MOD
Ministry of Defence (UK) (sometimes written MoD)
MOL
Manned Orbiting Laboratory [Space]
MOLA Mars Observer Laser Altimeter (on Mars Observer) [Space]
MOMA Museum of Modern Art [New York]
MOMV Manned Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle [Space]
MOR
Middle-Of-the-Road
MOS
Metal Oxide Semiconductor
MOSFET
Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor
MOTAS Member Of The Appropriate Sex
MOTIS Member Of The Inappropriate Sex
MOTIS Message-Oriented Text Interchange System
MOTOS Member of the Opposite Sex
MOTSS Member of the Same Sex
MOTV Manned Orbital Transfer Vehicle [Space]
MOU
Memorandum Of Understanding
MOUSE Minimum Orbital Unmanned Satellite of Earth
MP
Melting Point
MP
Member of Parliament
MP
Metropolitan Police
MP
Military Police(man)
MPC
Minor Planets Circular [Space]
MPE
Mission to Planet Earth [Space]
MPG
Miles Per Gallon
MPH
Miles Per Hour
MPP
Member of Provincial Parliament (Canada; also MLA)
MPR
Mars Pressurized Rover [Space]
MPV
Mars Piloted Vehicle [NASA OEXP]
MPW
Macintosh Programmer's Workshop
MR
Miniatures Rules
MRI
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
MRP
Manufacturing Requirements Planning
MRSR Mars Rover and Sample Return [Space]
MRSRM Mars Rover and Sample Return Mission [Space]
MS
ManuScript
MS
Master of Science
MS
Military Science
MS
Motor Ship
MS
Multiple Sclerosis
MSB
Most Significant Bit; Most Significant Byte
MSC
MicroSoft C
MSCP Mass Storage Control Protocol
MSD
Most Significant Digit
MS-DOS
MicroSoft DOS
MSE
Mobile Subscriber Equipment
MSFC (George C.) Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA) [Space]
MSFC Marshall Space Flight Center
MSG
MonoSodium Glutamate
MSH
Marvel Super Heroes
MSL
Mean Sea Level
MSPCA Massachussetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
MSPE Mercenaries, Spies & Private Eyes
MSRP Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price
MSS
Management Support System
MSS
ManuScriptS
MSS
Mass Storage System
MSS
Maximum Segment Size [TCP/IP] (see also MTU)
MST
Mountain Standard Time
MT
Metric Ton
MT
Mountain Time
MTA
Message Transfer Agent
MTA
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
MTBF Mean Time Between Failures
MTC
Man Tended Capability [Space]
MTR
Magnetic Tape Recording
MTSO Mobile Telephone Switching Office [Telephony]
MTTF Mean Time To Failure
MTTR Mean Time To Recovery
MTTR Mean Time To Repair
MTU
Maximum Transfer Unit [Networking] (see also MSS)
MTV
Music TeleVision
MUF
Maximum Usable Frequency (max freq during sunspot activity)
MULTICS MULTiplex Information Computer Services
MUMPS Mgh Utility MultiProgram System
MUNG Mung Until No Good (see the hacker's dictionary)
MUX
MUltipleXor
MVA
MegaVolt Ampere
MVS
Multiple Virtual Storage [IBM]
MX
Missile eXperimental
N
North
N
Notice
NA
Narcotics Anonymous
NA
North America
NA
Not Applicable
NAACP National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
NAAS North American Automated Systems co.
NAB
National Association of Broadcasters
NABISCO NAtional BIScuit COmpany [Corporate name]
NACCIRN North American Coordinating Committee for Intercontinental Research
Networking (see also CCIRN)
NACS National Advisory Committee on Semiconductors
NAD
Network Access Device
NADGE NATO Air Defense Ground Environment
NAG
Numerical Algorithms Group
NAGE National Association of Government Employees
NAK
Negative AcKnowledge
NAM
Name and Address Module [Telephony] (cellular phone changeable ROM)
NAM
National Account Manager [Telephony, AT&T]
NAM
Number Assignment Module [Telephony] (cellular phone changeable ROM)
NANP North American Numbering Plan
NAPAP National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program
NAR
Nuclear Acoustic Resonance
NARDAC
NAvy Regional Data Automation Center
NAS
National Academy of Sciences
NAS
National Advanced Systems
NASA National (US) Aeronautics and Space Administration [Space]
NASDA NAtional (Japan) Space Development Agency [Space]
NASM National (US) Air and Space Museum [Space]
NASP National (US) AeroSpace Plane [Space]
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NAVDAC
NAVal Data Automation Command
NAVSWC
NAVal Surface Weapons Center
NB
New Brunswick
NB
Nota Bene
NBA
National (US) Basketball Association
NBC
National (US) Broadcasting Company [Corporate name]
NBFM NarrowBand Frequency Modulation
NBO
Network Build Out
NBS
National Bureau of Standards (renamed NIST) [US Government]
NBVM Narrow Band Voice Modulation
NC
No Charge
NC
No Connection
NC
North Carolina
NCA
Network Control Analysis
NCC
National (US) Computer Conference
NCC
National (US) Council of Churches
NCDC National (US) Climatic Data Center
NCE
New Catholic Edition
NCGA National (US) Computer Graphics Association
NCI
National (US) Cancer Institute [US Government]
NCIC National (US) Cartographic Information Center
NCO
Non-Commissioned Officer
NCP
Network Control Program
NCR
National (US?) Cash Register [Corporate name]
NCS
Network Computing System
NCSA National (US) Center for Supercomputing Applications
NCSC National (US) Computer Security Center [NSA]
NCTL National Computer and Telecommunications Laboratory
NCV
No Commercial Value
ND
No Date
ND
North Dakota
NDA
Non-Disclosure Agreement
NDDL Neutral Data Definition Language
NDE
News Development Environment
NDEA National (US) Defense Education Act
NDL
Network Database Language
NDP
New Democratic Party (Canada)
NDSL National (US) Defense Student Loan
NDSL National (US) Direct Student Loan
NDT
Newfoundland Daylight Time
NDV
NASP Derived Vehicle
NDV
NASP Derived Vehicle [Space]
NE
New England
NE
North East
NEAR National Electronic Accounting and Reporting system
NEARnet New England Academic and Research Network
NEB
New English Bible
NEC
Nippon Electric Company [Corporate name]
NEI
Not Elsewhere Included
NES
National Energy Strategy
NES
Not Elsewhere Specified
NESC National Energy Software Center
NET
National (US) Educational Television
NET
NETwork
NET
New England Telephone
NEWS Network extensible Window System
NEXRAD
NEXt generation weather RADar
NF
No Funds
NFC
National (US) Football Conference
NFFE National (US) Federation of Federal Employees
NFL
National (US) Football League
NFS
Network File System
NG
National Guard
NG
No Good
NGC
New General Catalog [Space]
NH
New Hampshire
NHI
National Health Insurance
NHL
National (Canada) Hockey League
NHLBI National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Bethesda, MD)
NIC
Network Information Center ("The NIC" is NIC.DDN.MIL)
NICMOS
Near Infrared Camera / Multi Object Spectrometer (HST upgrade)
[Space]
NIFTP (a file transfer network in the UK)
NIH
National (US) Institutes of Health
NIH
Not Invented Here
NIM
Nuclear Instrumentation Module (an electronic instr. standard)
NIMH National Institute of Mental Health (Rockville, MD)
NIMS Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (on Galileo) [Space]
NIR
Near InfraRed [Space]
NIS
Network Information System (formerly yp)
NISO National Information Standards Organization
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology (formerly NBS) [US
Government]
NJ
New Jersey
NJB
New Jersey Bell [Telephony]
NL
National League (baseball)
NLM
National Library of Medicine
NLP
Natural Language Processing
NLRB National Labor Relations Board
NLS
Network License Server
NM
Nautical Mile
NM
New Mexico
NM
Night Message
NM
No Mark; Not Marked
NMOS N channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor (N-MOS) (see MOS)
NMR
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
NMS
Network Monitoring Station
NNE
North North East
NNTP Net News Transfer Protocol
NNW
North North West
NNX
NANP syntax for a three-digit string, N:{2-9}, X:{0-9} [Telephony]
NOA
NSWC Office Automation
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [Space, US Government]
NOAO National (Tucson, AZ, US) Optical Astronomical Observatories [Space]
NOC
Network Operations Center
NORAD NORth American Defense Command
NORM Naturally Occuring Radioactive Material
NORML National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
NOS
Not Otherwise Specified
NOSC Naval Ocean Systems Center
NOTIS Network Operator Trouble Information System
NOW
Negotiable Order for Withdrawal [Banking] (Is this MA or NE specific?)
NOx
Nitrogen Oxides
NP
No Protest
NP
Nondeterministic-Polynomial
NP
Notary Public
NP
Noun Phrase
NPA
Numbering Plan Area (area code) [Telephony]
NPC
Non-Player Character (see PC) [Role-playing]
NPL
National Physical Laboratory (UK)
NPL
Non-Procedural Language
NPN
Negative-Positive-Negative (transistor)
NPN
NonProtein Nitrogen
NPR
National Public Radio
NPR
non-Processor Request [PDP11, UNIBUS]
NQS
Network Queuing System
NRA
National Reconstruction Act (FDR era US)
NRA
National Rifle Association
NRAO National Radio Astronomical Observatory [Space]
NRC
National Research Council
NRC
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
NRE
Non-Recurring Engineering (as in NRE costs)
NREN National (US) Research and Education Network
NRL
Naval Research Labs
NRO
National Reconnaissance Office
NRO
National Reconnaissance Organization [Space]
NRZ
Non-Return to Zero
NRZI Non-Return to Zero Inverted (magnetic tape, 800 bpi)
NS
Neutron Star [Space]
NS
Not Specified
NS
Nova Scotia
NS
Nuclear Ship
NSA
National Security Agency [US Government]
NSAP Network Service Access Point [OSI, Networking]
NSC
National (US) Security Council [US Government]
NSE
Network Software Environment
NSF
National (US) Science Foundation [US Government]
NSS
Nodal Switching System [NSFnet]
NSSDC National Space Science Data Center [Space]
NST
Newfoundland Standard Time
NSTS National Space Transportation System [Space]
NSW
New South Wales (Australia)
NSWC Naval Surface Warfare Center
NSWC Naval Surface Weapons Center
NT
New Testament
NT
Newfoundland Time
NT
Northern Territory
NTEU National Treasury Employees Union
NTIS National Technical Information Service
NTN
Neutralized Twisted Nematic
NTP
Network Time Protocol [Internet]
NTP
Normal Temperature and Pressure (see STP)
NTSB National Transportation Safety Board [US Government]
NTSC National Television Standards Committee
NTSC Never Twice Same Color
NTT
New Technology Telescope [Space]
NTT
Nippon Telephone & Telegraph
NU
Name Unknown
NURBS NonUniform Rational B-Spline
NUSC Naval Underwater Systems Center [US Government]
NV
Nevada
NW
North West
NWNET NorthWestNet
NWS
National Weather Service
NWT
North West Territories (Australia)
NXX
NANP syntax for a three-digit string, N:{2-9}, X:{0-9} [Telephony]
NY
New York
NYC
New York City
NYNEX New York and New England (Telephone)
NYPD New York Police Department
NYSE New York Stock Exchange
NYSERNet
New York State Educational and Research Network
NZ
New Zealand
NZUSUGI New Zealand Unix System User Group, Inc.
OA
Office Automation
OA
Overeaters Anonymous
OAO
Orbiting Astronomical Observatory [Space]
OAS
Organization of American States
OATS Office Automation Technology and Services
OBE
Order of the British Empire
OBS
Omni Bearing Selector
OC
Order of Canada
OCDM Office of Civil Defense and Mobilization
OCI
Out of City Indicator
OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc.
OCLC Online Computer Library Center (Ohio College Library Catalog)
OCO
Object Code Only
OCR
Optical Character Recognition
OCS
Officer Candidate School
OCST Office of Commercial Space Transportation [Space]
OD
Doctor of Optometry
OD
Oculus Dexter (right eye)
OD
Officer of the Day
OD
OverDose
ODI
Optical Digital Image
ODISS Optical Digital Image Storage System
ODT
Octal Debugging Technique
ODT
Online Debugging Technique
OE
Old English
OED
Oxford English Dictionary
OEM
Original Equipment Manufacturer
OEO
Office of Economic Opportunity
OES
Order of the Eastern Star
OEXP Office of Exploration [NASA]
OF
Old French
OFM
Order of Friars Minor
OFS
Order of Free State
OG
Original Gum
OH
Ohio
OIRA Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
OIU
Office Interface Unit
OJT
On the Job Training
OLTP On-Line Transaction Processing
OMB
Office of Management and Budget [US Government]
OMD
Orchestral Manouevers in the Dark
OMS
Orbital Maneuvering System [Space]
OMV
Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle [Space]
ON
Old Norse
ONC
Open Network Computing
ONI
Office of Naval Intelligence
ONI
Operator Number Identification [Telephony]
ONR
Office of Naval Research
OOP
Object Oriented Programming
OOPART
Out Of Place ARTifact
OOPS Object-Oriented Programming System
OP
Observation Post
OP
OFFICEPOWER office automation system, trademark of CCI
OP
Order of Preachers
OP
Out of Print
OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
OPF
Orbiter Processing Facility [Space]
OPM
Office of Personnel Management
OPUS Obvious Password Utility System (Eugene Spafford <Spaf@Purdue.Edu>)
OR
Operating Room
OR
Oregon
OR
Owner's Risk, Own Risk
ORFEUS
Orbiting and Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer
[Space]
ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory
OROM Optical Read Only Memory
OS
Oculus Sinister (left eye)
OS
Operating System
OS
Ordinary Seaman
OS
Out of Stock
OSB
Order of St. Benedict
OSC
Orbital Sciences Corporation [Space]
OSCAR Orbiting Satelite Carry Amateur Radio (1st launched 12 Dec 1961)
OSCAR Orbiting Satellite Carry Amateur Radio (1st launched 12 Dec 1961)
OSCAR Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio [Space]
OSCRL Operating System Command Response Language
OSD
Office of the Secretary of Defense
OSDIT Office of Software Development and Information Technology
OSF
Open Software Foundation
OSF
Open Systems Foundation
OSF
Order of St. Francis
OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration [US Government]
OSI
Office of Scientific Integrity [NIH]
OSI
Open Systems Interconnection (per ISO; 7 layer model)
OSI/RM
Open Systems Interconnection/Reference Model
OSME Open Systems Message Exchange
OSP
Optical Storage Processor
OSPFIGP Open Shortest-Path First Internal Gateway Protocol [Internet]
OSS
Office of Strategic Services (later CIA)
OSS
Office Support System
OSS
Operation Support System [Telephony, AT&T]
OSSA Office of Space Science and Applications [Space]
OSSE Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (on GRO) [Space]
OSTP Office of Science and Technology Policy
OSTP (White House) Office of Science and Technology Policy [US Government]
OT
Old Testament
OT
OverTime
OTA
Office of Technical Assistance
OTA
Office of Technology Assessment
OTA
Optical Telescope Assembly (on HST) [Space]
OTB
Off-Track Betting
OTC
Over The Counter (stocks)
OTF
Open Token Foundation
OTH-B Over The Horizon - Backscatter (as in radar)
OT&LF Open Taxi & Limousine Foundation
OTR
On The Rag
OTS
Officers' Training School
OTV
Orbital Transfer Vehicle [Space]
OUTWATS OUTward Wide Area Telephone Service [Telephony]
OV
Orbital Vehicle [Space]
OV
Orbiter Vehicle [Space]
PA
Pennsylvania
PA
Per Annum
PA
Play Aid
PA
Power of Attorney
PA
Press Agent
PA
Private Account
PA
Public Address
PA
Purchasing Agent
PABX Private Automatic Branch eXchange [Telephony]
PACCOM
Pacific Computer Communications network consortium [Networking]
PACX Private Automatic Computer eXchange
PAD
Packet Assembler-Disassembler [Networking]
PAH
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon
PAL
Phase Alternation Line-rate
PAL
Programmable Array Logic
PAM
Payload Assist Module [Space]
PAM
Pulse Amplification Modulation
PARC Palo Alto Research Center, xerox
PASS Personal Access Satellite System [NASA]
PATROL
Program for Administrative Traffic Reports On Line
PBM
Play By Mail game
PBS
Public Broadcasting System
PBX
Private Branch eXchange [Telephony]
PC
Peace Corps
PC
PerCent; PerCentage
PC
Personal Computer (IBM wants you to believe a specific kind)
PC
Player Character (see NPC) [Role-playing]
PC
Post Card
PC
Post Cibum (after meals)
PC
Privileged Character
PC
Privy Council
PC
Program Counter
PC
Progressive Conservative party [Canada]
PC
Providence College
PC/AT Personal Computer/Advanced Technology
PCB
PolyChlorinated Biphenyl
PCB
Printed Circuit Board
PC-DOS
Personal Computer DOS
PCI
Panel Call Indicator
PCIE President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency
PCL
Printer Command Language
PCM
Plug-Compatible Mainframe
PCM
Pulse Code Modulation
PCPC Personal Computers Peripheral Corporation
PCS
Permanent Change of Station
PCTE Portable Common Tools Environment
PCTS Posix Conformance Test Suite
PD
Per Diem
PD
Police Department
PD
Potential Difference
PD
Public Domain
PDAD Proposed Draft ADdendum
PDE
Partial Differential Equation
PDES Product Data Exchange Specifications
PDF
Program Development Facility
PDL
Page Description Language
PDL
Program Design Language
PDN
Public Data Network
PDP
Plasma Display Panel
PDP
Programmed Data Processor
PDP
Programmed Data Processor [DEC]
PDQ
Pretty Damned Quick
PDS
Premises Distribution System [AT&T]
PDT
Pacific Daylight Time
PE
Phase Encoded
PE
Physical Education
PE
Prince Edward island
PE
Printer's Error
PE
Professional Engineer
PE
Protestant Episcopal
PEI
Prince Edward Island
PEP
Productivity Enhancement Project
PEPE Pepe Est Presque Emacs
PERL Pathologically Eclectic Rubbish Lister
PERL Practical Extraction and Report Language
PEX
Phigs/phigs+ Extension to X
PFC
Plasma Fusion Center [MIT]
PG
Parental Guidance (suggested) [Movie rating]
PGA
Professional Graphics Adapter
PGA
Pure Grain Alcohol
PHA
Pulse Height Analyzer (or Analysis)
PHIGS Programmers Hierarchical Interactive Graphics System
PHS
Public Health Service
PhysRev Physical Review Journal
- Phys Rev
PI
Principal Investigator
PI
Priority Interrupt
PI
Private Investigator
PIC
Plastic/Polyethelene Insulated Cable [Telephony]
PIC
Position Independant Code
PIF
Paid In Full
PIT
Principal, Interest, and Taxes
PIXEL PIcture ELement
PLA
Programmable Logic Array
PLATO Programmed Learning for Automated Teaching Operations (U. Ill., early
'70s)
PLC
Programmable Logic Controller
PLCC Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier
PLL
Phase-Locked Loop
PLM
Programming Language for Microcomputers
PLO
Palestine (sic?) Liberation Organization (?)
PLO
Please Leave On
PLSS Portable Life Support System [Space]
PM
PayMaster
PM
Police Magistrate
PM
Post Meridiem
PM
Post Meridiem (after noon)
PM
PostMaster
PM
PostMortem
PM
Pressurized Module [Space]
PM
Preventive Maintenance
PM
Prime Minister
PM
Provost Marshal
PMC
Permanently Manned Capability [Space]
PMIRR Pressure Modulated InfraRed Radiometer (on Mars Observer) [Space]
PMO
Prime Minister's Office
PMOS P channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor (P-MOS) (see MOS)
PMS
PreMenstrual Syndrome
PMT
PhotoMultiplier Tube
PM/X Presentation Manager for X windows
PN
Promissory Note
PNP
Positive-Negative-Positive (transistor)
PO
Petty Officer
PO
Post Office
PO
Postal Order
PO
Purchase Order
POC
Port Of Call
POD
Pay On Delivery
POE
Port Of Embarkation
POE
Port Of Entry
POGO Polar Orbiting Geophysical Observatory
POM
Phase Of Moon
POP
Point of Presence [Telephony]
POP
Post Office Protocol [Networking] (esp. TCP/IP)
POPS Paperless Order Processing System
POR
Price On Request
POS
Point Of Sale
POS
Professional Operating System [DEC]
POSI Promoting conference for OSI
POSIX Portable Operating System for unIX
POSIX Portable Operating System Interface
POTS Plain Old Telephone Service [Telephony]
POTV Personnel Orbit Transfer Vehicle [Space]
POV
Point Of View
POW
Prisoner Of War
PP
Parcel Post
PP
Past Participle
PP
Post Pay (payphone) [Telephony]
PP
Primary Point
PPB
Parts Per Billion
PPC
Pour Prendre Conge' (to take leave)
PPCS Person to Person, Collect, Special [Telephony]
PPM
Parts Per Million
PPN
Parameterized Post-Newtonian formalism for general relativity
PPN
Project Programmer Number
PPP
Point-to-Point Protocol (successor to SLIP (q.v.))
pps
Packets per Second
PPS
PostPostScriptum
PPT
Parts Per Trillion
PPT
Pulse Pair Timing
PPT
Punched Paper Tape
PQ
Province of Quebec
PR
PayRoll
PR
Public Relations
PR
Puerto Rico
PRC
Planning Research Corporation
PREPnet Pennsylvania Research & Economic Partnership Network
PRI
Primary Rate Interface (ISDN) [Telephony]
PRN
pro re nata [Medicine] (as needed?)
PROFS PRofessional OFfice System [IBM]
PROM Programmable Read-Only Memory
PS
PicoSecond
PS
PostScript
PS
PostScriptum
PS
Power Steering
PS
Power Supply
PS
Proposed Standard
PS
Public School
PSA
Problem Statement Analyzer
PSC
Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center
PSC
Polar Stratospheric Clouds
PSDN Public Switched Data Network [Telephony]
PSDS Public Switched Digital Service [Telephony, AT&T]
PSE
Programming Support Environment
PSF
Point Spread Function [Space]
PSG
Platoon SerGeant
PSI
Performance Systems International [Corporate name, Networking]
PSI
Power Systems, Incorporated [Corporate name, Model Railroading]
PSK
Phase Shift Keying
PSL
Problem Statement Language
PSN
Packet Switch Node [ARPANET/MILNET] (replaced IMP)
PSR
Product Specific Realizations
PSR
PulSaR [Space]
PSS
(unknown to me, but something in the UK environment)
PST
Pacific Standard Time
PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network
PT
Pacific Time
PT
Patrol Torpedo (as in PT boat)
PT
Physical Therapy
PT
Physical Training
PTA
Parent-Teacher Association
PTD
Parallel Transfer Disk
PTL
Praise The Lord (ministry)
PTN
Plant Test Number [Telephony] (actual number assigned for 800 service)
PTO
Patent and Trademark Office
PTO
Please Turn Over
PTO
Power Take-Off
PTT
Post, Telephone and Telegraph administration
PTV
Passenger Transport Vehicle [Space]
PUC
Public Utilities Commision
PV
Photovoltaic [Space]
PVC
Permanent Virtual Circuit (see also VC)
PVC
Poly-Vinyl Chloride
PVO
Pioneer Venus Orbiter [Space]
PW
Prisoner of War (usually POW)
PWG
Permanent Working Group
PX
Post eXchange (see BX)
QAM
Quadrature Amplitude Modulation
QC
Quality Control
QC
Queen's Counsel (KC when queen reigning)
QD
Quaque Die (daily) [Medicine]
QDA
Quantity Discount Agreement
QED
Quod Erat Demonstrandum (which was to be demonstrated) [Latin]
QEF
Quod Erat Faciendum (which was to be done) [Latin]
QEI
Quod Erat Inveniendum (which was to be found out) [Latin]
QET
Quantum Effect Transistor
QIC
Quarter-Inch Cartridge
QID
Quater In Die (four times a day) [Medicine]
QLI
Query Language Interpreter
QM
QuarterMaster
QMC
QuarterMaster Corps
QMF
Query Management Facility
QMG
QuarterMaster General
QMS
Quality Micro Systems [Corporate name]
QNS
Quantity Not Sufficient
QSO
Quasi-Stellar Object [Space]
q.v. ???? (Latin(?): which see)
QWERTY
first six keys from left on top alphabetic row of standard keyboard
R
Restricted [Movie rating]
R
Rolemaster
RA
Regular Army
RA
Research Assistant
RA
Royal Academy
RAAF Royal Australian Air Force
RACE Random Access Card Equipment
RACEP Random Access and Correlation for Extended Performance
RAD
Radiation Absorbed Dose
RAD
Rapid Access Disk
RADAR RAdio Detection And Ranging
RADM Rear ADMiral
RAF
Royal Air Force
RAM
Random Access Memory (R/W)
RAM
Red Academicia de Mexico (Mexican Academic Network)
RARDE Royal Armaments Research and Development Establishment
RARE R\'eseaux Associ\'es pour la Recherche Europ\'eenne (the European
Organization of Research Networks)
RAS
Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability
RASC Residence Account Service Center
RATS Radio Amateur Telecommunications Society
R&B
Rhythm and Blues (commonly R and B)
RBC
Red Blood Count
RBI
Runs Batted In
RBOC Regional Bell Operating Company
RC
Red Cross
RC
Regional Center
RC
Resistor-Capacitor circuit (as in filters)
RC
Roman Catholic
RCA
Radio Corporation of America [Corporate name]
RCAF Royal Canadian Air Force
RCAS Reserve Component Automation System
RCC
Radio Common Carrier
RCMP Royal Canadian Mounted Police
RCS
Reaction Control System [Space]
R&D
Research and Development (commonly R and D)
RD
Rural Delivery
RDA
Remote Data Access
RDBMS Relational DataBase Management System
RDF
Radio Direction Finding
REA
Rail Express Agency
RECON Reconnaissance
REM
Rapid Eye Movement
REO
R. E. Olds
REO
Removable, Erasable, Optical
RETMA Radio {something(equipment?)?} {something?} Manufacturers' Association
(????)
REXX Restructured EXtended eXecutor
RF
Radio Frequency
RF
Radio Frequency [Space]
RFC
Request For Comments (ala ARPA Internet)
RFD
Rehoboth (MA) Fire Department
RFD
Rural Free Delivery
RFI
Radio Frequency Interference
RFI
Radio Frequency Interference [Space]
RFP
Request for Proposal
RFQ
Request for Quote
RFS
Remote File System
RGB
Red Green Blue
RGP
Raster Graphics Processor
RH
Right Hand
RHC
Regional (Bell) Holding Company
RHS
Right Hand Side
RI
Rhode Island
RIACS Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science (NASA)
RIACS Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science [Space]
RIAS Radio In the American Sector, berlin
RIF
Reading Is Fundamental
RIF
Reduction In Force
RILM Repertoire International de Literature Musicale
RIP
Rest In Peace (or Requiescat In Pace : latin)
RIP
Routing Interchange Protocol
RIPE R\'eseaux IP Europ\'eenne (European IP Networks) (of RARE, q.v.)
RISC Reduced Instruction Set Computer
RITA Recognition of Information Technology Achievement award
RJE
Remote Job Entry
RLC
Resistor Inductor Capacitor
RLG
Research Libraries Group
RLIN Research Libraries Information Network (run by RLG (q.v.))
RLL
Run Length Limited
RMA
Radio Manufacturers' Association
RMA
Return Materials Authorization
RMATS Remote Maintenance Administration and Traffic System [Telephony]
RMS
Remote Manipulator System [Space]
RMS
Richard M. Stallman
RMS
Root Mean Square
RMS
Royal Mail Ship
RN
Registered Nurse
RN
Royal Navy
RNA
RiboNucleic Acid
RNGC Revised New General Catalog [Space]
RNZAF Royal New Zealand Air Force
ROFF Run-OFF
ROG
Receipt Of Goods
ROM
Range Of Motion [Medicine]
ROM
Read-Only Memory
ROM
Rupture Of Membrane (as in birth)
ROSAT ROentgen SATellite [Space]
ROSE RATS (q.v.) Open Systems Environment
ROSE Remote Operations Service Entity (per ISO/CCITT layer 7)
ROTC Reserve Officers' Training Corps
ROTS Rotary Out Trunks Selectors
ROYGBIV Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet
RPC
Remote Procedure Call
RPG
RePort Generator
RPG
Role Playing Game
RPI
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
RPM
Revolutions Per Minute
RPN
Reverse Polish Notation
RPO
Railway Post Office
RPS
Revolutions Per Second
RPV
Remotely Piloted Vehicle
RQ
RuneQuest
RR
RailRoad
RR
Route Relay
RR
Rural Route
RRO
Rate and Route Operator [Telephony]
RS
Recommended Standard (EIA)
RS
Recording Secretary
RS
Revised Status
RS
Right Side
RS
Royal Society
RSCS Remote Spooling Communications Subsystem
RSFSR Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic
RSN
Real Soon Now
RSU
Remote Switching Unit
RSV
Revised Standard Edition
RSVP Repondez S'il Vous Plait (please reply)
RSWC Right Side up With Care
RT
RadioTelephone
RT
RealTime
RTA
Remote Trunk Arrangement [Telephony]
RTAC Regional Technical Assistance Center [Telephony]
RTF
Rich Text Format
RTFM Read The @!# Manual
RTFM Read The F***ing Manual
RTG
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator
RTG
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator [Space]
RTLS Return To Launch Site (Shuttle abort mode) [NASA, Shuttle, Space]
RTR
Ready to Run [Model Railroading]
RTR
Reel-To-Reel
RTS
Request To Send (EIA RS-232-C)
RTTY Radio Teletype
RU
Receive Unit
RVD
Remote Virtual Disk [MIT]
RW
Right Worshipful
RW
Right Worthy
RX
Receive
Ry
Railway
S
South
S
Supplement
SA
Salvation Army
SA
Seaman Apprentice
SA
Service Assistant
SA
Sex Appeal
SA
Sine Anno (without date)
SA
South Africa
SA
South America
SA
Subject to Approval
SAA
South Atlantic Anomaly
SAA
South Atlantic Anomaly [Space]
SAA
Systems Application Architecture
SAC
Special Area Code [Telephony] (represent services, not places)
SAC
Strategic Air Command (see TAC)
SAC
Strategic Air Command [US military]
SADD Students Against Drunk Driving
SAFENET Survivable Adaptable Fiberoptic Embedded Network [US Navy]
SAM
Surface to Air Missile
SAM
Surface-to-Air Missile
SAMA Step-by-step Automatic Message Accounting [Telephony]
SAMPEX
Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle EXplorer [Space]
SAMTO Space And Missile Test Organization [Space]
SAO
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory [Space]
SAP
Second Audio Program
SAP
Service Access Point [OSI, Networking]
SAR
Search And Rescue
SAR
Synthetic Aperture Radar
SARA Satellite pour Astronomie Radio Amateur [Space]
SARA Stichting Academisch Rekencentrum Amsterdam (Amsterdam Universities
Computing Center)
SAREX Search and Rescue Exercise [Space]
SAREX Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment [Space]
SARTS Switched Access Remote Test System
SAS
Small Astronomy Satellite
SAS
Space Activity Suit [Space]
SASE Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope
SASI Shugart Associates Systems Interface
SAT
Satellite [Space]
SAW
Surface Acoustic Wave
SBA
Small Business Administration
SC
Secondary Channel
SC
Sectional Center
S&C
Skull & Crossbones
SC
South Carolina
S/C
SpaceCraft [Space]
SC
SubCommittee
SCA
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft [Space]
SCAD Subsonic Cruise Armed Decoy
SCADC Standard Central Air Data Computer
SCAME SCreen oriented Anti-Misery Editor
SCAMP Single-Chip A-series Mainframe Processor
SCAN Switched Circuit Automatic Network
SCC
Specialized Common Carriers
SCC
Switching Control Center
SCCS Source Code Control System
SCE
Signal Conversion Equipment
SCE
Structure Chart Editor
SCI
SpaceCraft Incorporated
SCIFI SCIence FIction (often used pejoratively of what really isn't)
SCO
Santa Cruz Operation
SCOOPS
SCheme Object Oriented Programming System
SCOTS Surveilance and Control Of Transmission Systems
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface
SCT
Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope [Space]
SCUBA Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
SCUD Subsonic Cruise Unarmed Decoy
SD
South Dakota
SDB
Source(?) DeBugger
SDI
Standard Disk Interconnect [DEC]
SDI
Strategic Defense Initiative [Space, US Government]
SDIO Strategic Defense Initiative Organization [Space, US Government]
SDLC Synchronous Data Link Control [IBM]
SDM
Sub-rate Data Multiplexer
SDN
Software Defined Network [Telephony, AT&T]
SDN
System Development Network (Korea)
SDO
Staff Duty Officer
SDSC San Diego Supercomputer Center
SDV
Shuttle Derived Vehicle [Space]
SE
Service Engineer (see also CE, FE)
SE
South East
SEATO SouthEast Asia Treaty Organization
SEC
Security Exchange Commission
SECNAV
SECretary of the NAVy
SED
Stream EDitor
SEI
Software Engineering Institute (Carnegie Mellon)
SEI
Space Exploration Initiative [Space]
SEL
Software Engineering Laboratory
SEM
Scanning Electron Microscope
SEST Swedish-European Submillimeter Telescope [Space]
SETI Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence [Space]
SETI Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence [Space]
SF
San Francisco
SF
Science Fiction; Speculative Fiction
SF
Standard Form
SF
Star Frontiers
SFRPG Science Fiction Role Playing Game
SG
StarGuard
SG
SubGroup
SGML Standard Generalized Markup Language
SHAPE Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
SHAR SHell ARchiver
SHCD Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective
SHF
Super High Frequency (3-30GHz)
SHRPG Super Hero Role Playing Game
SI
Staten Island
SIAM Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
SID
Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance [Space]
SIG
Special Interest Group
SIGCAT
Special Interest Group for Cd-rom Applications Technology
SIMD Single Instruction, Multiple Data
SIMM Single In-line Memory Module
SIMM System Integrated Memory Module
SINE SINE is not EINE
SIPS Satellite Imagery Processing System
SIR
Shuttle Imaging Radar [Space]
SIRTF Space (formerly Shuttle) InfraRed Telescope Facility [Space]
SIRTF Space Infrared Telescope Facility [Space]
SIS
Strategic Information System
SISCOM
Satellite Information System COMpany
SITA Societe Internationale Telecommunications Aeronautiques
SJ
Society of Jesus
Skyhook Surface to space "elevator" transportation system [Space]
SL
Salvage Loss
SL
Space Launch [Space]
SL
SpaceLab [Space]
SLA
Special Libraries Association
SLA
Synchronous Line Adapter
SLAC Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
SLAN Sine Loco, Anno, (vel) Nomine (without place, year, or name)
SLAR Side Looking Airborne Radar
SLAR Side-Looking Airborne Radar [Space]
SLBM Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles
SLC
Space Launch Complex [Space]
SLC
Subscriber Loop Carrier [Telephony]
SLDC Synchronous Data Link Control
SLIP Serial Line Internet Protocol
SLIP Serial Line IP (sometimes SL/IP) (see also PPP)
SLP
Super Long Play (VHS VCR)
SLS
Space(lab) Life Sciences [Space]
SM
Service Mark
SMA
Sergeant Major of the Army
SMA
Spectrum Manufacturers Association
SMC
Small Magellanic Cloud (see LMC)
SMC
Small Magellanic Cloud [Space]
SMD
Storage Module Device (interface standard for disk drives)
SMD
Surface Mounted Devices
SMDR Station Message Detail Recording [Telephony]
SMDS Switched Multi-megabit Data Service [Telephony, Networking]
SME
Solar Mesosphere Explorer [Space]
SMEGMA
Sophisticated Modern Editor with Gloriously Magnificent Abilities
SMERSH
Abbr. of Russian phrase meaning "Death to the spies."
SMEX SMall EXplorers [Space]
SMILS Sonobuoy Missile Impact Location System
SMM
Solar Maximum Mission (satellite 1980-1989) [Space]
SMTP Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
SMU
Southeastern Massachusetts University
SMU
Southern Methodist University
SN
Science News [Periodical]
SN
Serial Number
SN
Super Nova
SN
SuperNova (e.g., SN1987A) [Space]
SNA
Systems Network Architecture [IBM]
SNADS SNA Distribution Services
SNAFU Situation Normal -- All Fouled Up (also more profane versions)
SNAP Shipboard Non-tactical Automated data Processing program
SNAP Sub Network Access Protocol [OSI, Networking]
SNCF Societe National des Chemins de Fer (French National Railways)
SNF
Server-Natural Format
SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol [TCP/IP]
SNOBOL
StriNg Oriented symbOLic Language
SNPA SubNetwork Point of Attachment
SNR
Signal to Noise Ratio
SNR
Signal to Noise Ratio [Space]
SNR
SuperNova Remnant [Space]
SNU
Solar Neutrino Units [Space]
SO
Seller's Option
SO
Significant Other
SO
Space Opera
SO
Strike Out
SOAP Symbolic Optimizing Assembler Program
SOFIA Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy [Space]
SOH
Start Of Header, ASCII control character (dec=01,control-A)
SOHIO Standard Oil of oHIO [Corporate name]
SOHO SOlar Heliospheric Observatory [Space]
SOL
Short on Landing (or, colloquially, Shit Out of Luck)
SONAR SOund Detection And Ranging
SONET Synchronous Optical Network [Telephony]
SOP
Standard Operating Procedure
SOS
Save Our Souls (International standard distress call, Morse ...---...)
SOS
Silicon On Sapphire
SOS
Son of Stopgap (editor) [DEC]
SP
Shore Patrol
SP
Short Play (VHS VCR)
s.p. sine prole (Latin: without issue) [Genealogy]
SP
Southern Pacific [Corporate name, Railroading]
SP
Stack Pointer
SP
Star Patrol
SPA
Software Publishers Association
SPAG Standards Promotion and Applications Group
SPAN Space Physics and Analysis Network [NASA] (DECnet)
SPAN Space Physics and Analysis Network [Space]
SPAR Stock Points Adp Replacement
SPARC Scalable Processor ARChitecture
SPARC Standards, Planning, And Requirements Committee
SPAWAR
naval SPAce and WARfare command
SPC
Software Productivity Consortium
SPCA Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
SPCC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
SPDM Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator [Space]
SPEC Systems Performance Evaluation Cooperative
SPITBOL SPeedy ImplemenTation of snoBOL
SPNI Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
SPOT Systeme Probatoire pour l'Observation de la Terre [Space]
SPS
Solar Power Satellite [Space]
SPUR Systech Pluraxial Unplug Repeater
SQE
Signal Quality Error (IEEE 802.3, eqv to D/I/X "Collision Presence Test")
[Ethernet]
SQIID Simultaneous Quad Infrared Imaging Device (at NOAO)
SQL
Structured Query Language
SQUID Superconducting QUantum Interference Device
SRAM Short Range Attack Missile
SRAM Static RAM
SRB
Solid (fuel) Rocket Booster [Space]
SRG
Short and Ring Ground (test) [Telephony]
SRI
Stanford Research Institute
SRM
Solid Rocket Motor [Space]
SRO
Standing Room Only
SS7
Signalling System #7 [Telephony]
SSA
Social Security Administration [US Government]
SSB
Single Side Band
SSC
Superconducting Super Collider
SSE
South-SouthEast
SSF
Space Station Fred (er, Freedom) [Space]
SSF
Space Station Freedom [NASA, Space]
SSFF Showcase Software Factory of the Future
SSG
Staff SerGeant
SSI
Small Scale Integration
SSI
Solid-State Imager (on Galileo) [Space]
SSI
Space Services Incorporated [Corporate name, Space]
SSI
Space Studies Institute [Space]
SSI
Supplemental Security Income
SSME Space Shuttle Main Engine [Space]
SSPF Space Station Processing Facility [Space]
SSPS Satellite Solar Power Station [Space]
SSR
Secondary Surveillance Radar
SSR
Soviet Socialist Republic
SSRMS Space Station Remote Manipulator System [Space]
SST
Spectroscopic Survey Telescope [Space]
SST
SuperSonic Transport [Space]
SSTO Single Stage To Orbit [Space]
SSTV Slow Scan TeleVision
SSW
South-SouthWest
ST
Short Ton
STARS Software Technology for Adaptable, Reliable Systems
STD
Sacrae Theologiae Doctor (doctor of sacred theology)
STD
Sexually Transmitted Disease (replaces VD)
STD
State Transition Diagram
STD
Subscriber Trunk Dialing (British, and elsewhere; equiv. DDD in USA)
STI
Standard Tape Interconnect [DEC]
STILO Scientific and Technical Intelligence Liaison Office
STIS Space Telescope Imaging Spectrometer (to replace FOC and GHRS) [Space]
STL
St. Louis (airport designation)
STN
SuperTwisted Nematic
STOL Short TakeOff and Landing
STP
Shielded Twisted Pair [Telecom, Networking]
STP
Software Through Pictures
STP
Standard Temperature and Pressure (see NTP)
STRPG Star Trek: The Role-Playing Game
STS
Space Transportation System (space shuttle) [NASA]
STScI Space Telescope Science Institute [Space]
STV
Single Transferable Vote
STV
Space Transfer Vehicle [Space]
SUM
Symantec Utilities for Macintosh
SUN
Stanford University Network
SUN
SUN MicroSystems Computer (not an Acronym) [Corporate name]
SUNOCO
SUN Oil COmpany [Corporate name]
SUNY State University of New York
SURAnet Southeastern Universities Research Association Network
SVID System V Interface Definition
SW
South West
SW
SuperWorld
SWAS Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite [Space]
SWBT South Western Bell Telephone [Telephony]
SWF
ShortWave Fading [Space]
SWIFT Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Communications
SWS
Scientific Workstation Support
SXS
Step by Step switching [Telephony]
T
Traveler
T1
1.544Mbps [Telephony], one of the basic signalling systems 24x64Kb
T3
45Mbps (eq 28 T1 channels) [Telephony]
TA
Teaching Assistant
TAC
Tactical Air Command (see SAC)
TAC
Terminal Access Controller [ARPANET/MILNET] (replaced TIP)
TACACS
Terminal Access Controller Access Control System [ARPANET/MILNET]
TACCS Tactical Army Combat service support Computer System
TAE
Transportable Applications Environment
TAL
Trans-Atlantic Abort Landing [NASA, Shuttle]
TAL
Transatlantic Abort Landing (Shuttle abort plan) [Space]
TANSTAAFL
There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
TAR
Tape ARchiver
TASI Time Assign{ment,ed} Speech Interpolation [Telephony]
TAU
Thousand Astronomical Units [Space]
TB
TuBerculosis
TBA
To Be Announced
TBD
To Be Determined
TBD
To Be Done
TC
Teachers College
TCA
Terminal Controlled Airspace
TCP
Transmission Control Protocol
TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
TCS
Thermal Control System [Space]
TCSEC Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria (orange book)
TCT
To Challenge Tomorrow
TD
Tardive Dyskinesia
TD
TouchDown
TD
Treasury Department
TDCC Transportation Data Coordinating Committee
TDE
Transition Diagram Editor
TDI
Trusted Database Interpretation
TDM
Time-Division Multiplexer
TDR
Time Domain Reflectometer
TDRS Tracking and Data Relay Satellite [Space]
TDRSS Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System [Space]
TDY
Temporary DutY
TECO Tape Editor and COrrector
TECO Text Editor and COrrector
TEFLON
polyTEtraFLuOrethyleNe
TES
Thermal Emission Spectrometer (on Mars Observer) [Space]
TFP
Tops Filing Protocol
TFS
Translucent File System
TFT
The Fantasy Trip
TFT
Thin Film Transistor
TG
Thieves' Guild
TGV
Tres Grande Vitesse (French, Very High Speed) [Railroading]
TGV
Two Guys and a VAX (humorous variant) [Corporate name]
THIEF THief Isn't Even Fine
THIEF This Here Isn't Even Fine
THOR Tandy High-intensity Optical Recording
TI
Texas Instruments
TIA
Thanks In Advance [Net jargon]
TIA
Transient Ischemic Attack
TIC
TermInfo Compiler
TID
Ter In Die (three times a day)
TID
Transaction ID
TIFF Tag Image File Format
TIP
Terminal Interface Processor [ARPANET/MILNET] (replaced by TAC)
TIS
Trusted Information Systems [Corporate name]
TISN Tokyo International Science Network (Japan)
TKO
Technical Knock Out [Boxing]
TL
Total Loss
TLA
Three Letter Acronym
TLC
Tender Loving Care
TLI
Transort-Level Interface
TM
TradeMark
TMA
Tycho Magnetic Anomaly (movie 2001)
TMAC Treasury department's Multiuser Acquisition Contract
TMIS Telecommunications Management Information System
TMO
Telephone Money Order
TMP
The Morrow Project
TMRC Tech Model Railroad Club [MIT]
TMRC Transportation Modeling Research Center (TMRC {above} alter ego)
TN
Tennessee
TN
Twisted Nematic
TNC
Threaded Neill Concelman (connector) [Electronics] (see also BNC)
TNF
Tumor Necrosis Factor [Biology, Medicine]
TNP
Tech Nickel Plate (RR) [TMRC]
TNT
TriNitro Toluene
TO
Telegraph Office
TO
Turn Over
TODS Transactions on Database Systems (ACM)
TOMS Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer [Space]
TOMS Transactions on Mathematical Software (ACM)
TOOIS Transactions on Office Information Systems (ACM)
TOP
Technical Office Protocol
TOPLAS
Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems (ACM)
TOPS Traffic Operator Position System [Telephony]
TOPSMP
Traffic Operator Position System Multipurpose [Telephony]
TORES Text ORiented Editing System
TOS
Transfer Orbit Stage [Space]
TOW
Tube launched, Optically tracked, and Wire guided
TOY
Time Of Year (clock)
TP
Transaction Processing
TP
Transport Protocol (ISO/CCITT Transport Services (TP0-TP4); like TCP)
TP4
Transport Protocol, class 4 [ISO]
TPC
The Phone Company (from classic movie: _The President's Analyst_)
TPI
Tracks Per Inch
TPO
Traveling Post Office
TPP
TetraarylPorPhyrin
TPS
Technical Publishing Software
TPS
TeleProcessing Services
TPS
Thermal Protection System [Space]
TR
Tech Report (at least at LCS (q.v.), maybe others)
TR
Technical Reference [Bell, Telephony]
TRG
Tip and Ring Ground (test) [Telephony]
TROFF Text RunOFF, text formatter
TRUSIX
TRUSted unIX
TRW
Thompson, Ramo, and Woolridge
TS
Top Secret
TSAP Transport Service Access Point [OSI, Networking]
TSD
Total System Design
TSP
Teleprocessing Services Program
TSP
Thrift Savings Plan
TSP
Time Synchronization Protocol
TSP
TriSodium Phosphate
TSR
TSR (Fortune 500 Company that manufactures Dungeons & Dragons)
TSS
Tethered Satellite System [Space]
TSTO Two Stage to Orbit [Space]
T&T
Tunnels & Trolls
TTFN Tah Tah, For Now
TTL
Transistor Transistor Logic
TTMA Tennessee Tech Microcomputer Association
TTU
Tennessee Technological University
TTY
TeleTYpe
TUNIS Toronto UNIversity System
TV
TeleVision
TVA
Tennessee Valley Authority
TW
Thieves' World
TWA
Trans World Airlines [Corporate name]
TWB
Terrestrial WideBand [Networking, DARPA]
TWIMC To Whom It May Concern
TWT
Traveling Wave Tube
TWX
TeletypeWriter eXchange
TX
Texas
Tx
Transmit
u
(representing the greek mu) - micro
U
Universe
UA
United Artists
UAR
United Arab Republic
UAR
User Action Routine
UARS Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite [Space]
UART Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter
UBA
UniBus Adapter [DEC]
UBC
Universal Bibliographic Control
UBC
University of British Columbia
UBM
Unpressurized Berthing Mechanism [Space]
UCAR University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
UCB
University of California at Berkeley
UCD
Uniform Call Distributor [Telephony]
UCD
University of California at Davis
UCI
University of California at Irvine
UCL
University College London
UCLA University of California at Los Angeles
UCR
University of California at Riverside
UCSB University of California at Santa Barbara
UCSC University of California at Santa Cruz
UCSD University of California at San Diego
UCSF University of California at San Francisco
UDB
Unified DataBase
UDMH Unsymmetrical DiMethyl Hydrazine [Space]
UDP
User Datagram Protocol
UEC
User Environment Component
UFO
Unidentified Flying Object [Space]
UGC
Uppsala General Catalog [Space]
UH
Upper Half
UHF
Ultra High Frequency (300-3000MHz)
UID
Unique IDentifier
UID
User IDentification [UNIX]
UIMS User Interface Management System
UIT
Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (Astro package) [Space]
UIUC University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
UK
United Kingdom
UKST United Kingdom Schmidt Telescope [Space]
UL
Underwriters Laboratory
ULANA Unified Local-Area Network Architecture
UMOC Ugliest Man On Campus [MIT]
UMT
Universal Military Training
UN
United Nations
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific, & Cultural Organization
UNICEF
United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (now United
Nat. Child. Fund)
UNICS UNiplex Information Computer Services
UNIX Not an acronym at all. Was a joke on MIT's MULTICS.
UNMA Unified Network Management Architecture [AT&T]
UNO
United Nations Organization
UP
Union Pacific [Railroading, Corporate name]
UPC
Universal Product Code
UPI
United Press International
UPI
United Press International [Corporate name]
UPS
Uninterruptible Power Supply
UPS
United Parcel Service [Corporate name]
UR
University of Rochester
URI
University of Rhode Island
US
United States (of America)
USA
Union of South Africa
USA
United States Army
USA
United States of America
USAF
USAFA
USAN
USB
USC
USCG
USDA
USES
USFL
USGS
USIA
USM
USMC
USMP
USN
USO
USO
USP
USPS
USR
USS
USSR
USSS
USW
UT
UT
UT
UT
UTC
UTC
UTnet
UTP
UUCP
UUG
UV
UVS
UW
UW
VA
VA
VAB
VAFB
VAN
VANS
VAR
VASI
VAT
VAX
VAXBI
VC
VC
Vcc
VCM
VCO
VCR
VCU
VD
VDFM
VDI
VDM
VDM
United States Air Force
United States Air Force Academy (in Colorado Springs)
University Satellite Network
Upper Side Band
University of Southern California
United States Coast Guard
United States Department of Agriculture
United States Employment Service
United States Football League
United States Geological Survey
United States Information Agency
United States Mail
United States Marine Corps
United States Microgravity Payload [Space]
United States Navy
United Service Organizations
Unix Software Operation
United States Pharmacopeia
United States Postal Service
User Service Routines
United States Ship
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
User Services and Systems Support
Und So Weiter
Universal Time (a.k.a. GMT, UTC, or Zulu Time)
University of Tennessee
University of Texas
UTah
Coordinated Universal Time (a.k.a. UT)
Universal Coordinated Time (a.k.a. UT)
University of Texas Network
Unshielded Twisted Pair [Telecom, Networking]
UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Program
Unix User Group
UltraViolet
UltraViolet Spectrometer
UnderWriter
Univ of Wisconsin
Veterans Administration
Virginia
Vehicle Assembly Building (formerly Vertical Assembly Building) [Space]
Vandenberg Air Force Base [Space]
Value Added Network (e.g. Tymnet, Telenet, etc)
Value-Added Network Services
Value Added Remarketer (reseller)
Visual Approach Slope Indicator
Value Added Tax
Virtual Address eXtended
VAX Bus Interconnect
Viet Cong
Virtual Circuit
Voltage (Common Cathode?)
Voice Coil Motor
Voltage Controlled Oscillator
VideoCassette Recorder
Virginia Commonwealth University
Venereal Disease (see also STD)
Virtual Disk File Manager
Virtual Device Interface
Vienna Development Method
Virtual Device Metafile
VDT
Video Display Terminal
VEEGA Venus-Earth-Earth Gravity Assist (Galileo flight path) [Space]
VF
Video Frequency
VF
Voice Frequency
VFO
Variable Frequency Oscillator
VFR
Visual Flight Rules [Aviation]
VFW
Veterans of Foreign Wars
VFW
Volunteer Fire Department
VG
Very Good
VG
Vicar-General
VGA
Video Graphics Array
Vgg
Voltage (Gate to Ground?)
V&H
Vertical and Horizontal (CO coordinate tape) [Telephony]
VHDL Vhsic Hardware Description Language
VHF
Very High Frequency (30-300MHz)
VHS
Video Home System (VCR)
VHSIC Very High Speed Integrated Circuit
VI
VIsual editor
VIABLE
Vertical Installation Automation BaseLinE
VILE VI Like Emacs
VINE Vine Is Not Emacs
VIP
Very Important Person
VISTA Volunteers In Service To America
VITA Vme International Trade Association
VJ
Video Jockey
VL
Vulgar Latin
VLA
Very Large Array [Space]
VLBA Very Long Baseline Array [Space]
VLBI Very Long Baseline Interferometry [Space]
VLF
Very Low Frequency (3-30KHz)
VLIW Very Long Instruction Word
VLSI Very Large Scale Integration
VLT
Very Large Telescope [Space]
VM
Virtual Memory
VM/CMS
Virtual Machine/Conversational Monitor System
VMM
Virtual Memory Manager
VMOS Vertical Metal Oxide Semiconductor (V-MOS) (see MOS)
VMR
Vertical Market Reseller
VMS
Vertical Motion Simulator [Space]
VMS
Virtual Memory System [DEC]
VOA
Voice Of America
VOIR Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar (superseded by VRM) [Space]
VOIS Voice-Operated Information System
VOQ
Visiting Officer's Quarters
VPI&SU
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
VRC
Vertical Redundancy Character
VRM
Venus Radar Mapper (now called Magellan) [Space]
VRM
Virtual Resource Manager
VSAT Very Small Aperture Terminal (satellite dish)
VSX
X/open Verification Suite
VTAM Virtual Telecommunications Access Method [IBM]
VTOC Volume Table Of Contents
VTOL Vertical TakeOff and Landing
VTR
VideoTape Recorder
VUP
Vax Unit of Performance
V&V
Villains & Vigilantes
VVSS Vertical Volute Spring Suspension
W
West
W
Width
WA
Washington
WA
Western Australia
WAC
Womens Air Corps
WAIS Wide Area Information Server
WARC World Administrative Conference
WATS Wide Area Telephone Service
WB
Water Ballast
WB
WayBill
WBC
White Blood Cells
WC
Water Closet
WC
Without Charge
WCTU Women's Christian Temperance Union
WD
White Dwarf [Space]
w.d. will dated [Genealogy]
WECo Western Electric Company [AT&T] (manufacturing arm of AT&T)
WFPC Wide Field / Planetary Camera (on HST) [Space]
WFPCII
Replacement for WFPC [Space]
WG
Working Group
WH
WarHammer
WHBL World Home Bible League
WHCA White House Communications Agency [US Government]
WHO
World Health Organization
WI
Wisconsin
WIMP Windows/Icons/Mouse Programming(?)
WIPP (nuclear) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant [DOE]
WIS
WWMCCS Information System
WITS Washington Interagency Telecommunications System
WIYN Wisconsin / Indiana / Yale / NOAO telescope [Space]
WMSCR Weather Message Switching Center Replacement
WOM
Write Only Memory
WOP
WithOut Papers [Immigration]
WOPR War Operations Planned Response (from "Wargames" movie)
WORM Write Once, Read Many times
WOW
Worlds of Wonder
w.p. will proved [Genealogy]
WP
Word Processing
WP
Working Paper
WPI
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
WSI
Wafer Scale Integration
WSMR White Sands Missile Range [Space]
WSW
West-SouthWest
WTR
Western Test Range [Space]
WU
Washington University
WU
Western Union
WUPPE Wisconsin Ultraviolet PhotoPolarimter Experiment (Astro package) [Space]
WV
West Virginia
WW
World War
WWI
World War I
WWII World War II
WWMCCS
World-Wide Military Command and Control System
WY
Wyoming
WYSIWIS What You See Is What I See
WYSIWYG What You See Is What You Get
XCF
eXperimental Computing Facility
XD
without Dividend
XDR
eXternal Data Representation
XFER Transfer
XINU XINU Is Not UNIX
XL
eXtra Large
XMM
X-ray Multi Mirror [Space]
XMTR transMiTteR (the X is for trans)
XNS
Xerox Network Services
XO
eXecutive Officer
XOR
XPORT
XSECT
XTAL
XUI
XUV
YA
YACC
YB
YMCA
YMHA
YOB
YP
YRS
YSO
YST
YT
YT
YTD
YWCA
YWHA
Z
Z
Z
ZB
ZETA
ZGS
ZI
ZIF
ZIP
ZK
ZMRI
ZPG
ZPRSN
ZST
ZT
ZWEI
eXclusive OR (logical function)
Transport
cross SECTion
crysTAL (another version of x for crys, see XMTR)
X-windows User Interface
eXtreme UltraViolet [Space]
Yet Another
Yet Another Compiler Compiler
YearBook
Young Mens Christian Association
Young Mens Hebrew Association
Year Of Birth
Yellow Pages
Ysgarth Rules System
Young Stellar Object [Space]
Yukon Standard Time
Yukon Territory
Yukon Time
Year To Date
Young Womens Christian Association
Young Womens Hebrew Association
Zenith
Zero
Zulu (time)
Zero Beat
Zero Energy Thermonuclear Assembly
Zero Gradient Synchrotron
Zonal Index
Zero Insertion Force (connector/socket)
Zone Improvement Plan (US post office code)
barrage balloon (navy symbol)
Zinc Metals Research Institute
Zero Population Growth
Zurich Provisional Relative Sunspot Number
Zone Standard Time
Zone Time
Zwei Was Eine Initially