Abbreviations & Acronyms
Abbreviation:
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or a phrase (group of words).
The result of abbreviation is a reduced form or abridgement of writing. They are commonly used because they save time and space.
As said by John Horne Tooke, “Abbreviations are the wheels of language, the wings of Mercury.
Examples:
ATM = Automated Teller Machine
BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation
Acronym:
It is a word formed from the initial letters of the several words in the name and pronounced as one word.
Examples:
NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration (USA)
AIDS = Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Most Common Abbreviations & Acronyms with letter ‘U’
U
| U / U. | Unionist / United / University / Uranium (chemical element) / Universal (film certificate that allows people of any age) / Uracil / Uruguay (IVR = International Vehicle Registration) |
| u | Denoting quantum states or wave functions (physics) |
| UA | Ukraine (IVR = International Vehicle Registration) |
| UAE | United Arab Emirates (also IVR = International Vehicle Registration) |
| UAI | Universities Admission Index (Australia) |
| UAP | United Australia Party |
| UAR | United Arab Republic (formerly) |
| UAV | Unmanned aerial vehicle |
| UAW/UAWA | United Automobile Workers (of America) |
| UB40 | Unemployment benefit (form) 40 (formerly in UK) = an card issued to an unemployed person |
| UBR | Uniform Business Rate |
| UC | University College |
| uc / u.c. | Upper-case = capital |
| UCAR | Union of Central African Republic (formerly) |
| UCAS | (abbreviation & acronym) Universities and Colleges Admission Services |
| UCATT | Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians |
| UCCA | Universities Central Council on Admissions (now replaced by UCAS) |
| UCD | University College, Dublin |
| UCI | Union Cycliste Internationale (French) = International Cycling Union |
| UCL | University College, London |
| UCLA | University of California at Los Angeles |
| UCU | University and College Union |
| UCV | Unimproved capital value |
| UCW | Union of Communication Workers |
| UDA | Ulster Defence Association |
| UDC | Urban District Council |
| UDF | United Democratic Front (formerly) (South Africa) |
| UDHR | Universal Declaration of Human Rights |
| UDI | Unilateral Declaration of Independence |
| UDM | Union of Democratic Mineworkers |
| UDR | Ulster Defence Regiment (now replaced by RIR = Royal Irish Regiment) |
| UDT | United Dominion Trust |
| UEFA | Union of European Football Associations (the governing body of soccer in Europe) |
| UEL | United Empire Loyalist (Canadian) |
| UF | United Free Church (of Scotland) |
| UFA | United Farmers of Alberta (Canadian) |
| UFC | Universities Funding Council (now replaced by HEFCE = Higher Education Funding Council) |
| UFF | Ulster Freedom Fighters |
| UFFI | (acronym) Urea formaldehyde foam insulation (Canadian) |
| UFO | Unidentified flying object |
| UGC | University Grants Committee |
| UHF | Ultra-high frequency (radio) |
| UHT | Ultra-heat-treated / Ultra-high temperature |
| UJD | Utriusque Juris Doctor (Latin) = Doctor of both Laws (Cannon and Civil) |
| UK | United Kingdom |
| UKADGE | United Kingdom Air Defence Ground Environment (now replaced by UK ASACS = United Kingdom Air Surveillance and Control System) |
| UKAEA | United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority |
| UK ASACS | United Kingdom Air Surveillance and Control System |
| UKIP | (abbreviation & acronym) United Kingdom Independence Party |
| ULA / ula | (abbreviation & acronym) Uncommitted logic array (computing) |
| ULCC | Ultra-large crude carrier (a tanker over 320000 dead-weight tons) |
| ULF | Ultra-low frequency |
| ULMS | Underwater long-range missile system |
| ult. | Ultimate / Ultimately / Ultimo |
| ulto / ulto. | Ultimo (ultimate) |
| UMIST | (abbreviation & acronym) University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology |
| ump | Umpire (informal) (US) |
| UMTS | Universal Mobile Telephone (or Telecommunications) System |
| UN | United Nations |
| UNA | United Nations Association |
| UNCED | (abbreviation & acronym) United Nations Conference on Environment and development |
| UNCSTD | United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development |
| UNCTAD | (abbreviation & acronym) United Nations Conference on Trade and Development |
| UNECA | United Nations Economic Commission for Africa |
| UNECE | United Nations Economic Commission for Europe |
| UNEF | (abbreviation & acronym) United Nations Emergency Force |
| UNEP | United Nations Environment Programme |
| UNESCAP | (abbreviation & acronym) United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific |
| UNESCO | (acronym) (also Unesco) United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |
| UNHCR | United Nations High Commission for Refugees |
| UNICEF | (acronym) United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund = United Nations Children’s Fund |
| UNIDO | (acronym) United Nations Industrial Development Organization |
| UNITA | (acronym) Uniao Nacional para a Independencia Total de Angola (Portuguese) = National Union for the Total Independence of Angola |
| UNITAR | (acronym) United Nations Institute for Training and Research |
| UNO | United Nations Organization |
| un-PC | Not politically correct |
| UNPROFOR | (abbreviation & acronym) United Nations Protection Force (United Nations multi-national peace keeping force) |
| UNRRA | United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration |
| UNRWA | United Nations Relief and Works Agency (for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) |
| UOM | Union of Myanmar (formerly Burma) |
| UP | United Presbyterian / United Press / United Party (South Africa) / Uttar Pradesh (Indian province/state) |
| UPI | United Press International / Unified Payments Interface (multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application) |
| UPS | Uninterruptible Power Supply |
| UPSC | Union Public Service Commission (India) |
| UPU | Universal Postal Union |
| UPVC / uPVC | Unplasticized polyvinyl chloride |
| URC | United Reformed Church |
| URI | Upper respiratory infection |
| URL | Uniform (or Universal) Resource Locator (the address of a world wide web (www) page |
| Uru. | Uruguay |
| US | Under-secretary / United Service(s) / United States (of America) (also USA) |
| U/S or u/s | Unserviceable |
| USA | United States of America (also US) (IVR = International Vehicle Registration) / United States Army |
| USAAF | United States Army Air Forces |
| USAF | United States Air Force |
| USAID | United States Agency for International Development |
| USB | Universal Serial Bus |
| USC | Ulster Special Constabulary |
| USCL | United Society for Children Literature |
| USD | United States Dollar |
| USDA | United States Department of Agriculture |
| USDAW | (abbreviation & acronym) Union of Shop, Distributive, and Allied Workers |
| USGA | United States Golf Association |
| USGS | United States Geological Survey |
| USIA | United States Information Agency (now replaced by IIP = Office of International Information Programs (US) |
| USM | Unlisted Securities Market (Stock Exchange) |
| USN | United States Navy |
| USO | United Service Organization |
| USP | Unique selling point (or proposition) (marketing) |
| USPG | United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel |
| USS | United States Ship or Steamer |
| USSR / (Russian) CCCP | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics |
| UT | Universal Time / Utah (US state) (also Ut.) |
| UTC | Universal Time, Co-ordinated (used in telecommunications for GMT) |
| Utd | United (in names of soccer teams) |
| UTI | Unitary tract infection |
| UU | Ulster Unionist |
| UUC | Ulster Unionist Council |
| UV / uv | Ultraviolet |
| UVA/UV-A | Ultraviolet radiation of relatively long wavelengths (a range of 320-380 nanometers) |
| UVB/UV-B | Ultraviolet radiation with a range of 280-320 nanometers |
| UVC | Ultraviolet radiation C (of very short wavelength) |
| UVF | Ulster Volunteer Post |
| UVR | Ultraviolet radiation |
| UWB | Ultra-wideband (used in radio communications) |
| UWIST | (abbreviation & acronym) University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (now replaced by the University of Cardiff) |
| UWT/NASUWT | National Association of Schoolmasters (and) Union of Women Teachers |
| UX | User Experience |
| UZ | Uzbekistan (IVR = International Vehicle Registration) |
