Letters with meaning

Why your pound is “lb” and other everyday abbreviations explained

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You probably rattle off "PIN," "USB," or "Mrs." without hesitating, but do you actually know what those letters stand for? Some abbreviations come from Latin, some from long-lost measurements, and a few make absolutely no sense at first glance. So let’s dive into the interesting roots of 12 common abbreviations you’ve been using for years.

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Why "No." for "number" when there’s no "O" in the word? You can blame Latin on that one.

The abbreviation comes from numero, meaning "number," which was originally abbreviated as an "N" with a small "o" above it (Nº). That old symbol eventually morphed into the familiar No. we still use today.

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The abbreviation "lb" actually comes from libra pondo, Latin for "a pound by weight." The pondo gave us the English word "pound," while the libra stuck around as "lb."

It’s also why the British pound symbol (£) looks like a fancy "L." How interesting is that?

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"Ounce" and "oz" don’t match up phonetically, but historically, they’re connected. The word comes from the Latin uncia, meaning one-twelfth of a Roman pound.

It passed through Italian as onza, which is how we ended up with the abbreviation oz. Now it makes a little more sense, don’t you think?

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Most of us know whether it’s morning or night without translating Latin, right? But there’s some history behind these time markers. A.M. stands for ante meridiem (before noon) and P.M. for post meridiem (after noon).

You’ve probably seen "post" in other words like "post-op" or "postwar"—now you know why it shows up in time too!

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"PIN" stands for "personal identification number"— so saying "PIN number" is technically redundant.

Scottish engineer James Goodfellow created the PIN system in 1966 when he patented an early cash machine. Now it’s second nature, and we don’t even think twice about typing it in.

Bonus fact: "ATM" stands for "automated teller machine," so saying "ATM machine" is also a redundancy.

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"CC" stands for "carbon copy," from the days when people used carbon paper to make duplicates of typed letters. You’d slip a sheet between two papers, type your note, and you had two copies.

The email version took off in the 1980s, and we’ve been CC-ing ever since.

"BCC"? That’s "blind carbon copy," meaning the recipient is hidden from others. How about that, huh?

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"Universal Serial Bus" might sound like a fancy Greyhound line, but it’s actually the system that helps gadgets talk to each other.

In computer terms, a "bus" is a communication channel, like a digital highway. The USB was created in the mid-1990s to simplify connecting devices.

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You’ve probably seen "et al." on academic papers or research articles. It’s short for et alia, Latin for "and others."

Only the "al" is abbreviated, which is why it gets the period. The word alia is also the root of "alias," a name used by someone else. But you already knew that one, didn’t you?

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CV stands for curriculum vitae, Latin for "course of life." It’s a fancier version of a résumé and is often used in academia or overseas job applications.

The phrase popped up in the early 1900s and adds a bit of sobriety to your work history. Who said job hunting couldn’t be sophisticated?

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"MO" stands for modus operandi, Latin for "method of operating." Originally, it described the signature behavior of criminals, but these days it’s more broadly used to mean someone’s usual way of doing things.

If your uncle always steals the last slice of pie, that’s just his MO. Sneaky, but predictable, you know.

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The SIM in your phone stands for "Subscriber Identity Module." It’s what tells the network who you are and lets you make calls, send texts, and use data.

First rolled out in 1991, SIM cards act like your phone’s ID badge—without one, your phone’s just a fancy calculator.

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"Mrs." looks like it should rhyme with "mars," but we say it "missus." That’s because it originally stood for "mistress." Don’t worry— not the scandalous kind, just the lady of the house.

Over time, mistress took on new meanings, but the "R" stayed behind in the abbreviation. Go figure.

Which one would you learn?

Did you know about these 12 benefits of learning a new language?

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Learning a new language can benefit you in many ways, including improving your brain function, communication skills, and confidence. It can also help you understand other cultures and travel to foreign countries with greater independence. Take a look at these 12 great reasons to learn a new language.

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Learning a new language means mastering a whole new set of grammar rules and vocabulary. As the brain works to keep up with the language’s complexities and absorb its patterns, new developments occur within it. Just like muscles, the brain becomes stronger and more efficient the more it is used.

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It’s no secret that the human attention span is steadily shrinking. This is mainly due to new technologies designed to compress and deliver information in the shortest possible time.

Learning a new language can be an antidote to this trend. Researchers suggest that regularly switching between languages helps the brain maintain focus and block distractions.

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Learning a language is like acquiring a valuable tool, and as such, it is highly sought after by companies operating in multilingual markets. Nowadays, the demand for bilingual candidates is greater than ever. By acquiring a foreign language, a person can significantly increase their job opportunities and advance up the career ladder much faster.

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Creativity often involves combining unrelated concepts, and few activities do this better than learning a new language, where you have to assign a new word to every single known concept. This shift in perspective fosters the creative part of the brain.

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People learn their mother tongue intuitively and without formal education. However, learning another language requires studying grammar, vocabulary, idioms, and sentence structure. As learners progress in a second language, they become more aware of the structure and rules of their first language.

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When the brain practices switching between languages, it exercises its multitasking ability. As it becomes accustomed to this demanding task, it adapts and improves its ability to multitask in other areas as well.

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It should come as no surprise that exercising the brain can delay its decline in senior adults and keep it sharper for longer. On that note, learning a new language is an excellent way for retirees to continue challenging their minds and maintain mental agility.

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Learning a language involves storing large amounts of new information in your brain. That’s why people who speak more than one language tend to have better memory retention. They are often better at remembering lists, names, phone numbers, and directions than those who speak only one language.

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Learning a new language often puts you in the spotlight, with many opportunities to make mistakes, especially during the early stages. This makes it a great exercise for building self-esteem, as it encourages learners to push through discomfort until they feel confident in any situation.

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Communicating with someone through hand gestures, basic words, or a third person is very different from speaking with them in their own language. The experience of interacting with another person is greatly enriched by sharing their language.

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Making decisions in a language other than your native tongue often leads to more reasoned and logical choices. This is because the brain takes extra steps to process information in a different language, which adds time and encourages more deliberate thinking.

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Jorge Luis Borges, the Argentine writer, learned German so he could read Goethe in the original language. While this might sound like a rare example, it’s undeniable that reading the exact words a writer chose offers a richer and more rewarding experience than reading a translation, no matter how good the translation may be.

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