(500+ Words) Electrical Abbreviation Dictionary | Acronyms

Acronym	Long-Form
A	Ampere
AAAC	All Aluminum Alloy Conductor
AAC	All Aluminum Conductor
AC	Alternating Current or Auxiliary Carry
A/C	Air Conditioning
ACB	Air Circuit Breaker
ACCB	Air Case Circuit Breaker
ACDB	Alternating Current Distribution Board
ACSR	Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced
ADC	Analog to Digital Converter
AF	Audio Frequence
AFC	Automated Frequency Control or Available Fault Current
AFCI	Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter
AGC	Automatic Gain Control
AGMA	American Gear Manufacturer’s Association
Ah	Ampere-hour
AHU	Air Handling Unit
AIC	Ampere Interrupting Capacity
Al	Aluminum
ALCI	Appliance Leakage Current Interrupter
ALE	Address Latch Enable
ALU	Arithmetic Logic Unit
AMD	Advanced Micro Device
ANSI	American National Standards Institute
APFC	Automatic Power Factor Control
ASI	Asynchronous Serial Interface
ASCI	American Standard Code For Information
Ask	Amplitude Shift Keying
ASTA	Association of Short-circuit Testing Authorities
ATC	Automatic Temperature Control
ATS	Automatic Transfer Switch
AVR	Automatic Voltage Regulator
AWA	Aluminum wire Armour
AWG	American Wire Gauge
B	Electrical Susceptance or Base
BBUL	Bumpless Build-Up Layer
BCD	Binary Coded Decimal
BGA	Ball Grid Array
BIL	Breakdown Insulation Level
BJT	Bipolar Junction Transistor
BLAC	Brushless AC
BLDC	Brushless DC
BMS	Battery Management System
BPSK	Binary Phase Shift Keying
BTB	Branch Target Buffer
BTU	British Thermal Units
C	Capacitance or Capacitor or Collector or Celsius or Centigrade
CAD	Computer-Aided Design
CATV	Cable Television or Community Antennae Television
CB	Circuit Breaker or Common Base
CBCU	Circuit Breaker Control Unit
CBM	Certified Ballast Manufacturer
CBR	Constant Bitrate
CC	Common Collector
CCR	Central Control Room
CCTV	Closed Circuit Television
CCU	Central Control Unit
CDA	Common Drain Amplifier
CDIP	Ceramic Dual In-Line Package
CDM	Charged-Device Model
CDMA	Code Division Multiple Access
CE	Common Emitter or Chip Enable
CEGB	Central Electricity Generating Board
CISC	Complex Instruction Set Computer
CLF	Current Limiting Fuse
CMOS	Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
Cont.	Continuous Quantity
COR CU	Corrugated Copper
Cos φ	Power Factor
CPGA	Ceramic Pin Grid Array
CPT	Control Power Transformer
CPU	Central Processing Unit
CRO	Cathode Ray Oscilloscope
CRT	Cathode Ray Tube
CS	Chip Select
CSA	Cross-Sectional Area or Common Source Amplifier
CSI	Current Source Inverter
CSP	Chloro-Sulfonated Polyethylene
CSS	Computerized Synchronising System
CT	Current Transformer
CU	Copper
CUWB	Copper Wire Braid
dB	Decibel
D	Degree or Diode
DAC	Digital to Analog Converter
DB	Distribution Board
db	Decibel
DC	Direct Current
DCDB	Direct Current Distribution Board
DCS	Distributed Control System
DE	Drive End of a shaft
Dia.	Diameter
DIP	Dual In-line Package
DMA	Direct Memory Access
DMS	Data Management System
DMT	Definite Minimum Time
DOL	Direct On-Line
DP	Double Pole
DPDT	Double Pole Double Throw
DPIC	Double Pole Iron Clad
DPR	Dividing Pulse Relay
DPST	Double Pole Single Throw
DSSO	Double Switched Socket Outlet
DT	Definite Time
DUT	Device Under Test
DWR	Divided Winding Rotor
E	Earth or Emitter
EB	Equipment Branch
EBCDIC	Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Coad
EC	Electrical Code or Electrical Contractor or Electronic Commutator
ECC	Error Checking & Correction
ECG	Electro Cardio Graphs
ECHA	Equipment Certified for Hazardous Area
EEMUA	Engineering Equipment and Materials Users Association
EF	Exhaust Fan or Earth Fault
EFR	Earth Fault Relay
EHT	Extra-High Tension
EHV	Extra-High Voltage
EIEMA	Electrical Installation Equipment Manufacturer’s Association
EINV	Extremely Inverse
ELCB	Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker
ELEV	Elevator
ELV	Extra Low voltage
EM	Emergency
EMA	Ethylene Methyl Acrylate
EMC	Electromagnetic Compatibility
EMF or emf	Electromotive Force
EMI	Electromagnetic Interference or Electro Magnetic Inductor
EMT	Electrical Metallic Tubing
EOS	Electrostatic Overstress
EP	Emergency Power
EPA	Electrostatic Discharge Protected Area
EPDM	Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer
EPO	Emergency Power Off (Button or Switch)
EPR	Ethylene Propylene Rubber
ERA	Electrical Research Association
ERM	Electronic Restart Module
ESD	Emergency Shut Down or Electrostatic Discharge
ESDS	Electrostatic Sensitive Device System
ESP	Electric Submersible Pump
EST	Extra Super Tension
EWC	Electric Water Cooler
EWS	Engineering Work Station
F	Fuse or Frequency or Fahrenheit or Fire or Farad
FA	Fire Alarm
FAA	Fire Alarm Annunciator
FAT	Factory Acceptance Testing
FBA	Factory Built Assemblies
FBT	Flyback Transformer
FCPGA	Flip Chips Pin Gird Array
FCU	Feeder Control Unit
FET	Field Effect Transistor
Fig.	Figure
FLA	Full Load Amperes
Flex	Flexible (use for the cable)
FMC	Flexible Metal Conduit
Fr	Resonant Frequency
FSK	Frequency Shift Keying
G	Ground or Conductance or Gas or Generator
GCB	Gas Circuit Breaker
GCP	Generator Control Panel
GDT	Gas Discharge Tube
GFCI	Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter
GFI	Ground Fault Interrupter
GIS	Gas-Insulated Switchgear
GND	Ground
GO	Gang Operated
GOR	Gas to Oil Ratio
GPIO	General Purpose Input/Output
GPS	Global Positioning System
GRMC	Galvanized Rigid Metal Conduit
GRP	Glass Reinforced Plastic
GSWA	Galvanised Steel Wire Armour
GSWB	Galvanised Steel Wire Braid
GTG or GT	Gas-Turbine Generator
GTO	Gate turn off thyristor
H	Hour
HCL	Hydrogen Chloride, Gas or Acid
HF	High Frequency
HIDA	Hold Acknowledge
HOA	Hand-Off-Automatic Switch
HOLD	Hold Indicates
HRC	High Rupturing Capacity
HT	High Tension
HV	High Voltage
HVAC	Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning
Hz	Hertz (Frequency in Cycles/Second)
I	Current or Input
IALA	International Association of Lighthouse Authorities
IB	Base Current
IC	Colleter Current or Integrated Circuit
ICIBDB	Iron Clad Distribution Board
ICSP	In-Circuit Serial Programming
ICTP	Iron Clad Triple Pole
ICU	Instruction Control Unit
IDMT	Inverse Definite Minimum Time
IE	Emitter Current
IEC	International Electrotechnical Commission
IEE	Institution of Electrical Engineers
IEEE	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IG	Isolated Ground
IGBT	Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor
IHS	Integrated Heat Speaker
IMC	Intermediate Metal Conduit
IMCS	Integrated Motor Control System
IMS	Information Management System
Inst.	Instantaneous
Int	Interlock or Intermittent
INTA	Interrupt Acknowledge
INTR	Interrupt Request
IOW	Input / Output Write
IPMSM	Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor
IR	Insulation Resistance or Infrared
IRE	Institution of Radio Engineers
IS	Starting Current
ISO	International Standards Organisation
J	Joule or Jump
JFET	Junction Field Effect Transistor
KCMIL	Thousand Circular Mils
K	Kelvin
Kv	Kilo Volts
KVA	Kilovolt-Amperes
KVAR	Kilovolt-Amperes Reactive
Kw	Kilo-watt
KWh	Kilo Watt Hour
L	Line or Inductance or Inductor
LA	Lightning Arrester
LAN	Local Area Network
LCC	Leadless Chip Carrier
LCD	Liquid Crystal Display
LCS	Local Control Station
LDR	Light Dependent Resistor
LED	Light Emitting Diode
LF	Low Frequency
LFMC	Liquid Tight Flexible Metal Conduit
LLRP	Low-Level Reader Protocol
LMS	Load Management System or Line Maintenance Service
LNG	Liquefied Natural Gas
LOPT	Line Output Transformer
LPS	Lightning Protection System
LRA	Locked Rotor Amperes
LSD	Least Significant Digit
LSF	Low Smoke and Fume
LSI	Large Scale Integration
LSS	Load Shedding System
LT	Low Tension
LTG	Lighting
LV	Low Voltage
LVDT	Linear Variable Differential Transformer
m	Meter or Milli
M	Motor
mA	Milli-ampere
MC	Metal Clad Cable
MCB	Main Circuit Breaker
MCC	Motor Control Center
MCCB	Moulded Case Circuit Breaker
MCM	Multi Cavity Module
MCP	Motor Circuit Protection
MCR	Maximum Continuous Rating
MCU	Motor Control Unit
Mf	Multiplying Factor
Mho	Unit of Admittance
MI	Mineral Insulated on Machine Interface
MIC	Minimum Ignition Current
MISO	Master Input Slave Output
MESG	Maximum Experimental Safe Gap
MLO	Main Lugs Only
MM	Machine Model
mm	Millimeters
MMF	Magneto-Motive Force
MMI	Man-Machine Interface
MMSCF	Million Standard Cubic Feet
MOG	Magnetic Oil Gauge
Mole	Molecular Weight
MOSI	Master Output Slave Input
MOSFET	Metal Oxide Semiconduction Field Effect Transistor
MOV	Metal Oxide Varistor
MS	Main Switch
MSD	Most Significant Digit
MSI	Medium Scale Integration
MSW	Module Steel Work
MT	Main Terminal
MTBF	Mean Time Between Failures
MTTR	Mean Time To Repair
MV	Medium Voltage or Milli-Volt
MVA	Mega-Volt-Ampere
MVAR	Mega-Volt-Ampere Reactive
MW	Megawatt
N	Neutral or Number
NBR	Nitrile Butadiene Rubber
NC	Normally Closed
NCT	Neutral Current Transformer
NDE	Non-Drive End
NEC	National Electrical Code
NEMA	National Electrical Manufacturers Association
NER	Neutral Earth Resistor
NFPA	National Fire Protection Association
NINV	Normal Inverse
NL	Neutral Link or Night Light
NO	Normally Open or Number
NOx	Nitrogen-based Gas Emissions
Ns	Synchronous Speed or Motor Speed
NTS	Not To Scale
O	Open
OC	Over Current or Open Circuit
OCB	Oil Circuit Breaker
OCTC	On-Circuit Tap Changer
OF	Over Frequency
OHL	Overhead Line
Ohm	Resistance Unit
OIM	Offshore Installation Manager
OL	Over Load
OLTC	On-Load Tap Changer
OFAF	Forced Circulation of Internal Liquid Forced
OV	Over Voltage
P	Pole or Power or Active Power
PA	Public Address (Use in the system)
PAM	Pulse or pole Amplitude Modulation
PB	Push Button or Panic Button or Pull Box
PBWB	Phosphor Bronze Wire Braid
PC	Programmable Controller or Personal Computer or Program Counter
PCC	Point of Common Connection or Power Control Centre
PD	Potential Difference
PDIP	Plastic Dual In-Line Package
P&ID	Piping and Instrument Diagram
PET	Power Equipment Testing
PF	Power Factor
PGA	Pin Grid Array
Ph	Phase
PIPO	Parallel In Parallel Out
PISO	Parallel In Serial Out
Pk	Peak Value
PLC	Programmable Logic Controller
PLCC	Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier
PM	Pulse Modulation or Permanent Magnet
PMS	Power Management System
PMSM	Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor
PNL	Panel
PPGA	Plastic Pin Grid Array
PSK	Phase Shift Keying
PSW	Program Status Word
PT	Potential Transformer or Power Transformer
PTB	Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt
PU	Per Unit
PVC	Polyvinyl Chloride
PWM	Pulse Width Modulation
Q	Reactive Power or Charge
QA	QA Quality Assurance
QC	Quality Control
QPSK	Quadrature Phase Shift Keying
Qty.	Quantity
R	Resistance or Resistor or Reset or Remote or Rectifier
Rad	Radian
RAM	Random Access Memory
RCBC	Residual Current Circuit Breaker
RCCB	Residual Current Circuit Breaker
RCD	Residual Current Device
RCU	Remote Control Unit
Ref.	Reference
REF	Restricted Earth Fault
REQ	Required
RFID	Radio Frequency Identification
RISC	Reduced Instruction Set Computer
RLA	Rated Load Ampere
RMC	Rigid Metal Conduit
RMG	Ring Main Gear
RMS	Root Mean Square
RMU	Ring Main Unit
RNC	Rigid Non-Metallic Conduit
ROM	Read-Only Memory
RPR	Reverse Power Relay
RS	Recommended Standard
RTD	Resistance Temperature Detector
RTS	Remote Test Station
RTU	Roof Top Unit or Remote Transmitter Unit
Rx	Receiver
S	Set or Apparent Power or Start or Slip or Switch
SB	Switch Board
SC	Short Circuit
SCADA	Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition
SCF	Standard Cubic Feet
SCIM	Squirrel Cage Induction Motor
SCK	Serial Clock
SCR	Silicon Controlled Rectifier
SEB	Service End Line Box or Service Electrical Box
SEC	Single Edge Cartridge or Single Edge Contact
SECT	Skin Effect Current Trace
SELV	Safety extra-low voltage
SF6	Sulphur Hexa- Fluoride
SFU	Switch Fuse Unit
SI	International System
SID	Single Input Data or Serial Input Data
SP	Spare or Single Phase or Single Pole
SPDT	Single Pole Double Throw
SPI	Serial Peripheral Interface
SIPI	Serial In Parallel In
SIPO	Serial In Parallel Out
SISO	Serial In Serial Out
SMPS	Switch Mode Power Supply
SOD	Serial Output Data
SP	Single Pole
SPMSM	Surface Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor
SPST	Single Pole Single Throw
SPT	Stranded Parallel Thermoplastic
Sq	Square
SRM	Switched Reluctance Motor
SSI	Small Scale Integration
SSR	Sub Synchronous Resonance or Solid State Relay
SSSO	Single Switched Socket Outlet
ST	Shunt Trip or Super Tension
STG	Steam Turbine Generator
STR	Statimax Trip Release
Sw	Switch
SWA	Steel Wire Armour
SWBD	Switchboard
SWGR	Switchgear
SYM	Symmetrical
SyRM	Synchronous Reluctance Motor
Sync.	Synchronizing
T	Time or Temperature or Timer
TB	Terminal Box or Block
TC	Trip Circuit
TCP	Turbine Control Panel
TCS	Trip Circuit Supervision
TD	Tunnel Diode
TDRR	Time-Delayed Restart Relay
TEFC	Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled
TEL	Telephone
Temp.	Temperature
TESFC	Totally Enclosed Separate Fan Cooled
TG	Turbo-Generator
TGB	Telecommunications Grounding Busbar
THF	Telephone Harmonic Factor
TLSB	Translation Look A-Side Buffer
TMCB	Thermal Magnetic Circuit Breaker
TOP	Turbine Operating Temperature
TP	Triple Pole
TPN	Three-Phase and Neutral
TPPL	Total Plant Peak Load
TPRL	Total Plant Running Load
Tran	Transformer
Trap I	Trap Interrupt
TTL	Transistor-Transistor Logic
TMCB	Thermal Magnetic Circuit Breaker
TPDT	Triple Pole Double Throw
TPIC	Triple Pole Iron Clad
TPS	Triple Pole Switch
TPST	Triple Pole Single Throw
TRS	Tough Rubber Sheathed
Tv	Television
TVSD	Transient Voltage Suppression Diode
Tx	Transformer
U	Voltage (Use for Energy)
UART	Universal Asynchronous Receiver and Transmitter
UC	Under Current
UJT	Uni Junction Transistor
UCP	Unit Control Panel
UDS	Uniform Drawing System
UEL	Upper Explosive Limit
UF	Under Frequency
UG	Under Ground
UHF	Ultra-High Frequency
UL	Underload or Underwriters Laboratory
ULSI	Ultra Large Scale Integration
UPS	Uninterruptible Power Supply
USART	Universal Synchronous and Asynchronous Receiver and Transmitter
USB	Universal Serial Bus
UV	Under Voltage or Ultra-Violet
V	Voltage or Volt
VA	Volt-Ampere
Vac	Alternating Voltage
VAr	Reactive Volt-Ampere
VCB	Vacuum Circuit Breaker
VCR	Video Cassette Recorder
Vdc	Direct Voltage
VDR	Voltage-Dependent Resistor
VDU	Visual Display Unit
VFD	Variable Frequency Drive
VFDP	Variable Frequency Drive Panel
VHF	Very High Frequency
VIF	Virtual Interrupt Flag
VIP	Virtual Interrupt Pending
VIR	Vulcanized Indian Rubber
VSD	Variable Speed Drive
VSDS	Variable Speed Drive System
VSI	Voltage Source Inverter
VT	Voltage Transformer
VVR	Voltage Variable Resistor
W	Watt or Wire or Frequency (in radian/second)
Wdg.	Winding (Use in a machine)
WH	Water Heater
WHRU	Waste Heat Recovery Unit
WP	Weather Proof
WRIM	Wound Rotor Induction Motor
WRSM	Wound Rotor Synchronous Motor
X	Reactance
XFMR	Transformer
XLPA	Cross-Linked polyalkene
XLPE	Cross-Linked Polyethylene
Y	Admittance
Z	Impedance
ZH	Zero Halogens (use for cables)

For Example:

What does DC stand for?

DC stand for "Direct Current".

You can use this as short hand Electronics and electrical dictionary.

I’m listing down those abbreviations in alphabetical order. Along with the full form, some of the abbreviations are linked to an article that will describe that terminology in detail like definitions, formulas, and usages.

Also, in industrial automation study, we used different short abbreviations. You can read the Industrial Automation Dictionary.