Abbreviation vs. Ak — What's the Difference?

An abbreviation (from Latin brevis, meaning short) is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word abbreviation can itself be represented by the abbreviation abbr., abbrv., or abbrev.; NPO, for nil (or nothing) per (by) os (mouth) is an abbreviated medical instruction.

A state in northwestern North America; the 49th state admitted to the union;

The act or product of shortening.

A shortened form of a word or phrase used chiefly in writing to represent the complete form, such as Mass. for Massachusetts or USMC for United States Marine Corps.

The result of shortening or reducing; abridgment.

(linguistics) A shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase, used to represent the whole, utilizing omission of letters, and sometimes substitution of letters, or duplication of initial letters to signify plurality, including signs such as +, =, @.

The process of abbreviating.

(music) A notation used in music score to denote a direction, as pp or mf.

(music) One or more dashes through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, demisemiquavers, or hemidemisemiquavers.

Any convenient short form used as a substitution for an understood or inferred whole.

(biology) Loss during evolution of the final stages of the ancestral ontogenetic pattern.

(mathematics) Reduction to lower terms, as a fraction.

The act of shortening, or reducing.

The result of abbreviating; an abridgment.

The form to which a word or phrase is reduced by contraction and omission; a letter or letters, standing for a word or phrase of which they are a part; as, Gen. for Genesis; U.S.A. for United States of America.

One dash, or more, through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, or demi-semiquavers.

A shortened form of a word or phrase

Shortening something by omitting parts of it