The Gospel of John (An Epistle of John) (in Biblical references)
Jnr
Junior (in names)
JP
Justice of the Peace (UK)
JPEG
Joint Photographic Experts Group (compressed imaged file format) (Computing)
Jr / jr
Junior
JSA
Job Seeker’s Allowance
JUD
Juris Ultriusque Doctor (Latin) = Doctor of both laws (ie canon & Civil) / (the Book of) Judges (also Judg./Jud.) / Judith (Apocrypha)
Jul.
July
Jun. / jun.
Junior / June (also Junr or junr)
juv.
Juvenile
Jy
Jansky (astronomy) / July
K
k / k.
Kalium (Latin) = Potassium / kelvin / ketamine (drug) / King / King’s / Knight / knot(s) (Nautical) / Kochel (Mozart’s catalogue) / Cambodia (former name = Kampuchea) (IVR = International Vehicle Registration) / Karat or carat / Kilo or kilo– / Kaon (Physics) / Kilobytes (Computing) / Kilometer(s) / Kina (Currency of Papua New Guinea) / Kirkpatrick (catalogue of Domenico Scarlatti’s works) / Krona (Swedish & Icelandic currency) / Krone (Danish & Norwegian currency) / Kwacha (Malawian & Zambian currency)
KANU
(acronym) Kenya African National Union
KB
King’s Bench / Kilobyte(s) (also Kb)
KBE
Knight Commander of the (Order of the) British Empire
kbyte
Kilobyte (Computing)
kc
Kilocycle(s)
KC
Kennel Club / King’s Counsel
Kc
Czech koruna (currency unit)
kcal
Kilocalorie(s)
KCB
Knight Commander of the (Order of the) Bath
KCIE
Knight Commander (of the Order) of the Indian Empire
KCMG
Knight Commander (of the Order) of St Michael and St George
KCVO
Knight Commander of the (Royal) Victorian Order
KD
Knocked down (Commerce) / Kuwaiti dinar (Currency)
KE
Kinetic energy
KFAT
(National Union of) Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades (old usage)
KFOR
Kosovo Force (peacekeeping force in Kosovo led by NATO)
kg / KgsKG
Kilogram(s) / keg(s) / Kings / (KG) Knight of the Order of the Garter (UK)
KGB
Komitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti (Russian) = Committee of State Security (the former Soviet secret police)
Kgs
kgy
Kilogray(s) (unit for measuring absorbed dose of radiation)
khz
Kilohertz
kJ
Kilojoule(s)
KKK
Ku Klux Klan (US) (an extremist right-wing secret society)
kl
Kiloliter(s)
KL
Kuala Lumpur (the capital of Malaysia)
KLM
Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (Dutch) Royal Dutch Airlines
KM / km
Knight of Malta / km = kilometer(s)
km/h
Kilometers per hour
kn.
Knot(s) (Nautical measure)
KO / k.o.
Kick-off/ knockout / Knock out
KP
Kitchen police(man) (US military slang) (men help the cook) / Knight of (the Order of) the St Patrick
kpg
Kilometers per gallon
kph
Kilometers per hour
Kr
Krypton (Chemistry)
kr
Krona (Swedish or Icelandic currency) / Krone (Danish and Norwegian currency)
KS
Kansas (US state) / King’s Scholar (UK) / Kaposi’s sarcoma / Kyrgyzstan (IVR = international vehicle registration)
KSA
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (IVR)
KStJ
Knight of (the Order of) St John
kt
Karat (carat) / kiloton(s) or kilotonne(s) / knot (nautical)
Kt
Knight
KT
Knight of the Thistle / Knight Templar
Ku
Kurchatovium (Chemistry)
kV
Kilovolt(s)
kVa
Kilovolt-ampere(s)
kW
Kilowatt(s)
KWAC
(acronym) Keyword and context
kWh
Kilowatt-hour(s)
KWIC
(acronym) Keyword in context
KWOC
(acronym) Keyword out of context
KWT
Kuwait (IVR = international vehicle registration)
KY /Ky/Ky.
Kentucky (US state)
KZ
Kazakhstan (IVR = international vehicle registration)
L
I / l.
Line / Left / Latitude / Length / Liter / Levorotatory (Chemistry) / League / Lira or Lire (plural) / Libra (Latin) pound weight (lb)
L / L.
Luxembourg (IVR = international vehicle registration) / Latin / Lambert / Learner (driver) / Lecturer / Left / Liberal / Licentiate / Liter / Lira or Lire / Loch / Lough / Lake / Libra (Latin) = pound sterling (written as £) / Inductance (Elec) / Luminance / Angular momentum (physics) / Molar latent heat (chemistry) / 50000 (Roman Numeral)
LA
Legislative Assembly / Literate in Arts / Los Angeles / Library Association (UK, now replaced by CILIP = Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals / Local Authority / Louisiana (US state)
La
Lanthanum (Chemistry)
La.
Lane (in street names, etc.) / Louisiana (US state)
L-A
Latin America
Lab
Labour (labor) / Labrador (dog) / lab = laboratory
LAC
Leading Aircraft(s)man
lac
Lactose / lac or lakh (India & Pakistan) = a hundred thousand
LACW
Leading Aircraft(s)woman
LAFTA
Latin American Free Trade Association
LAIA
Latin American Integration Association
LAMBDA
(acronym) London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
LAN
Local Area Network (Computing)
Lancs.
(acronym) Lancashire
LB
Liberia (IVR = international vehicle registration)
lb
Leg bye(s) / leg before wicket (lbw) (Cricket) / Libra (Latin) pound weight
LBC
London Broadcasting Company
LBD / LBDs
A little black dress(es) (informal)
LBDR / LBDr
Lance Bombardier (also L/Bdr)
LBJ
Lyndon Baines Johnson (36th President of the US)
lbf
Pound force
LBO
Leveraged buyout (Commerce)
lbw / l.b.w.
leg before wicket (Cricket)
lc
Left center / Letter of Credit / lower case (Printing) / Loco Citato (Latin) = in the place (passage) previously cited
LC
Library of Congress / Landing Craft (US)
LCC
London County Council (later known as GLC = Greater London Council (abolished in 1986)
Licentiatus Chirurgiae (Latin) = Licentiate in Surgery
LCJ
Lord Chief Justice
LCM / lcm
Least or lowest common multiple
LCP
Licentiate of the College of Preceptors
L/Cpl
Lance corporal
LCST
Licentiate of the College of Speech Therapists
LCT
Landing craft, tank
LD
Lady Day / Lethal Dosage / Low Dutch
Ld
Lord
LD50
Learning disability (disabled) at 50% (also LD50)
LDC
Less developed country
Ldg
Leading (in Nave ranks and Seaman, etc.)
LDL
Low-density lipoprotein (Biochemistry)
LDP
Liberal Democratic Party
Ldp / Lp
Lordship
LDS
Latter-Day Saints / licentiate in Dental Surgery / Laus Deo semper (Latin) = praise be to God always
LE
Lupus erythematosus (Medicine)
LEA
Local Education Authority (UK)
LF
Line feed (computing) / Low frequency (radio)
Lg. / lge
Large
LGer / LG
Low German
LGA
Local Government Association
LGBT
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender(ed)
LGBTQ
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer (or questioning)
lgth
Length
LGU
Ladies’ Golf Union
LGV
Large goods vehicle (UK)
lh / l.h.
Left hand
LH
Luteinizing hormone (Biochemistry)
LHA
Local Health Authority
lhd /LHD
Left-hand drive
LHD
Litterarum Humaniorum Doctor (Latin) = Doctor of Humanities, literally Doctor of the Humane Letters
LI
Light Infantry / Long Island (US)
Li
Lithium (chemical element)
lib.
Librarian / Library / Liber (Latin) = book
Lib.
Liberal
LIBOR
(acronym) London Interbank Offered Rate
LIC
Life Insurance Corporation (India)
LIE
Loss of independent existence
Lieut.
Lieutenant
LIFFE
London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange
LIFO
Last in, first out (methods of stock valuation and data storage) (compare with FIFO = First in, First out)
LJ
Lord Justice (UK)
Lk.
The gospel of Luke (Biblical reference)
ll
Lines
LL
Late Latin / Lord Lieutenant / Low Latin / legume of laws (Latin) = an academic degree
LLA
Lady Literate in Arts
LLB
Legume baccalaureus (Latin) = Bachelor of Laws
LLD
Legum doctor (Latin) = Doctor of Laws
LLM
Legum magister (Latin) = Master of Laws
LLW
Low-level waste
lm
Lumen(s) (SI unit)
LM
Long metre / Lord Mayor / Lunar module
LMA
Liabilities Management Authority
LME
London Metal Exchange
LMS
London Mathematical Society / London Missionary Society / Local Management of Schools / London, Midland and Scottish Railway (Formerly in use)
LMSSA
License in Medicine and Surgery of the Society of Apothecaries
LMT
Local Mean Time (the standard time in a local zone)
LMVD
Licensed Motor Vehicle Dealer (NZ)
LMX
London Market Excess of Loss (Insurance)
ln
(natural) logarithm
LNB
Low-noise blocker (Telecommunications)
LNE / LNER
London and North-Eastern Railway (historical)
LNG
Liquefied natural gas
LOB
Left on base (Baseball)
loc. cit.
(acronym) loco citato (Latin) = in the passage just (already) cited
LOL
Laughing out loud (in emails and social chats) (informal)
lon. / long.
Longitude
Lond.
London
loq.
Loquitur (Latin) = see separate entry
LOS
Loss of signal
LP
Long-playing record
LPG
Liquefied Petroleum Gas
LPGA
Ladies Professional Golf Association
LPN
Licensed Practical Nurse
LPO
London Philharmonic Orchestra
L’pool
Liverpool
LPS
Lord Privy Seal
LQTS
Long QT syndrome
Lr
Lawrencium (the chemical element)
LRAM
Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music
LRB
Labour Relations Board
LRC
(of trains) light, rapid, comfortable
LRCP
Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians / LRCP Edin. = of Edinburg / LRCP Lond. = of London / LRCP Irel. = of Ireland
LRCS
Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons / LRCS Ed. = of Edinburg / LRCS Eng. = of England / LRCS Irel. = of Ireland
LRIF
Locked-in retirement income fund (Canadian)
LRP
Lead replacement petrol
LRT
Light rail (or rapid) transit
LS
Lesotho (IVR = International Vehicle Registration) / Linnaean Society of London / Leading Seaman (Canadian) / (also ls) loco sigilli (Latin) = in the place of the seal
LSA
Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries (old)
LSAT
(acronym) Law School Admission Test
LSB
Least significant bit (Computing)
LSC
Learning and Skills Council / Legal Services Commission
LSD. / lsd /£sd
Librae, solidi, denarii (Latin) = pounds, shillings and pence