Latin Abbreviations Ad Nauseam
In case your Latin is a little rusty, here's a list of abbreviations commonly used in medical charts and prescriptions. These may be useful when monitoring medical charts, or maybe just for impressing your friends. Now, if you could only get training on how to read the awful handwriting...
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Abbreviation |
Latin Etymology |
Meaning |
aa. |
heck if I know! |
of each |
a.c. |
ante cibum |
before meals |
ad |
ad |
up to |
a.d. |
aurio dextra |
right ear |
ad lib. |
ad libitum |
at pleasure, freely |
aq. |
aqua |
water |
aq. dest. |
aqua destillata |
distilled water |
a.l. |
aurio laeva |
left ear |
a.s. |
aurio sinister |
left ear |
a.m. |
ante meridiem |
in the morning |
a.u. |
aures utrae |
each ear |
b.i.d. |
bis in die |
twice a day |
|
cum |
with |
cap. |
capsula |
capsule |
cc |
can you give me that in cubits? |
cubic centimeter = 1 milliliter |
cong. |
derivation: OPEC? |
gallon |
comp. |
a great thinker came up with this one! |
compound |
d. |
dies |
day |
dil. |
dilue |
dilute |
disp. |
dispensa |
dispense |
div. |
dividere |
divide |
d.t.d. |
dentur tales doses |
give of such doses |
elix. |
a wild weekend in Arabia: al-iksir |
elixir (an alcohol solution) |
e.m.p. |
you'll have to look this up yourself. |
In the manner prescribed |
et |
et |
and |
ex aq. |
ex aqua |
in water |
ft. |
fac, fiat, fiant |
make |
g. or Gm. |
gramma |
gram |
gr., granum |
lets see, twenty grains to the scruple, 3 scruples to the drachm, 8 drachms to the ounce, right? |
grain |
gtt. |
gutta |
drop |
h. or hr. |
hora |
hour |
h.s. |
hora somni |
at bedtime |
i.m. |
circa Marcus Welbius |
intramuscular |
inj. |
circa Florence Nightingalelius |
injection |
i.v. |
bloodletting anyone? |
intravenous |
liq. |
liquor (very popular in Ancient Rome, I hear) |
solution |
M. |
misce |
mix |
mixt. |
mixtura |
mixture |
mcg. |
"don't blame metrics on me, Claudius, it was that little French guy with his hand stuck in his shirt!" |
microgram |
m. dict |
more dictor |
as directed |
mg. |
I/Mth of a gramma? |
milligram |
ml. |
1 ml = 16.23 minums or 0.2705 fluidrachms, or so, in round numbers. |
milliliter |
N.F. |
good ole' USA, all the way! |
National Formulary |
no. |
numerus |
number |
noct. |
nocturnal |
night |
non rep. or n.r. |
non repatur |
do not repeat |
O. |
octarius, as in "eight" pints to the gallon |
pint |
o.d. |
oculus dexter |
right eye |
o.l. |
oculus laeva |
left eye |
o.p. |
an ancient Roman advertising ploy? No, actually, a Louisiana doctor with a sick sense of humor who wrote this on a prescription I had to fill my first week out of pharmacy school. |
original package |
o.s. |
oculus sinister (The Romans thought lefties were evil!) |
left eye |
o.u. |
oculus uterque |
each eye |
O2 |
"you too, Brutus?" |
both eyes |
p.c. |
post cibos |
after meals |
p.m. |
post meridiem |
afternoon or evening |
p.o. |
per os (in Greek, its "osme" meaning "odor". A little too much garlic, perhaps? |
by mouth |
p.r.n. |
pro re nata |
when required, as needed |
pulv. |
pulvis |
powder |
q.a.d. |
quoque alternis die |
every other day |
q.d. |
quiaque die |
every day |
q.h. |
quiaque hora |
every hour |
q.i.d. |
quater in die |
four times a day |
q.s. |
quantum sufficiat |
a sufficient quantity |
q.s. ad |
quantum sufficiat ad, perhaps? |
a sufficient quantity to make |
q.v. |
quam volueris |
as much as needed |
rep. |
repetatus |
repeat |
|
sine |
without |
Sig. |
signa |
write on label |
sol. or soln. |
solutio |
solution |
s.o.s. |
si opus sit (how did Marconi get H-E-L-P out of that?) |
if there is need, dot-dot-dot-dash-dash-dash-dot-dot-dot |
|
semis |
one-half |
stat. |
statim |
immediately |
sup. |
suppositorius (lit. "placed under") |
suppository |
syr. |
syrupus |
syrup |
tab. |
tabella |
tablet |
tal. |
tal |
such |
tal. dos |
tal dos |
such doses |
tbsp. |
Can someone tell ME why it's called a TABLE spoon? I guess that's easier to say then "four liquid drams." |
tablespoonful |
t.i.d. |
ter in die |
three times a day |
tr. |
tinctura, lit. "a dyeing" |
tincuture |
tsp. |
Old English for "great with crumpets" |
teaspoonful |
u.d. or ut. dict. |
ut dictum |
as directed |
ung. or ungt. |
unguentum |
ointment |
U.S.P. |
Uncle Sam's book on "pharmakons" |
United States Pharmacopeia |
Now, if you still want more, here's more Latin terms and their meaning. These you won't find on a doctor's prescription, but your friends won't know the difference.
ab initio, from the beginning
ab origine, from the origin
ab ovo, from the egg; from the beginning
addenda, things to be added
ad finem, to the end
ad hoc, with respect to, a group of people with a definite work
ad infinitum, to infinity
ad nauseam, to the point of disgust or satiety
ad rem, to the purpose
adsum, I am present
ad velorem, according to the value
advocatus diaboli, devil's advocate
a fortiori, with stronger reason
a posteriori, from effect to cause
a priori, from cause to effect
bis dat qui cito dat, he gives twice who gives quickly
bona fides, good faith
cafe au lait spot, ceteris paribus, other things being equal
circa, about
coup, stroke
coup d'etat, a sudden decisive blow in politics
coup de grace, a finishing stroke
cul-de-sac, blind alley
de facto, in point of fact
de jure, from the law
de novo, anew
emittere, to send out, as in "Emissary - The Monitoring Group"
en masse, in mass
en route, in route
errata, errors
et, at
et cetera, etc., and the rest
ex officio, in virtue of his office
ex post facto, after the deed is done
fait accompli, a thing already done
in articulo mortis, at the point of death
in extremis, at the point of death
in loco, in the place
in loco parentis, in the place of a parent
in situ, in its original position
in toto, in the whole
in vacuo, in a vacuum
ipso facto, by that very fact
laborare est orare, to labor is to pray, work is worship
modus operandi, manner of working
modus vivendi, manner of living
non sequitur, it does not follow
nota bene, note well
onus probandi, the burden of proof
per, for, through, by
per contra, on the contrary
per annum, by the year
per capita, by heads
per diem, by the day
per se, by itself
persona non grata, an unacceptable person
prima facie, at first view
pro forma, for the sake of form
pro rata, according to rate
quid pro quo, something in return
sataratus, sat., saturated
secundum artem, s.a., according to art
sine cura, without charge
sine qua non, without which, something indispensable
status quo, the existing condition
stet, do not delete
sub judice, under consideration
sub rosa, confidentially
tabula rasa, a blank tablet
tritura, trit., triturate
verbatim et literatim, word for word, letter for letter