ANC
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | African National Congress |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Government & Politics, Technology & Computing, Medical, Transportation & Travel |
ANC has four meanings. The most common are African National Congress (world government) and Active noise cancellation (consumer electronics); it can also stand for Absolute neutrophil count and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.
Meanings of ANC at a glance
| # | ANC stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | African National Congress | Government & Politics › World Government |
| 2 | Active noise cancellation | Technology & Computing › Consumer Electronics |
| 3 | Absolute neutrophil count | Medical › Laboratory Test |
| 4 | Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport | Transportation & Travel › Airport Code |
1. African National Congress
Government & Politics · World Government Abbreviations
South Africa's governing party since the end of apartheid, which led the liberation struggle and won every national election from 1994. After losing its majority in May 2024, it formed a Government of National Unity with other parties.
Example: The ANC won about 40 percent of the vote in 2024, its first result below 50 percent.
Founded in 1912, it was banned from 1960 to 1990. Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for 27 years, became South Africa's first democratically elected president in 1994. Its coalition partners include the Democratic Alliance. In medicine, ANC means absolute neutrophil count.
2. Active noise cancellation
Technology & Computing · Consumer Electronics Abbreviations
Headphone and earbud technology that uses microphones to pick up ambient sound and plays an inverted sound wave to cancel it, sharply reducing steady low-frequency noise such as airplane engines, trains and air conditioning.
Example: With ANC on, I can barely hear the jet engines during the flight.
German physicist Paul Lueg patented the principle in the 1930s, and Bose's aviation headsets of 1989 and consumer QuietComfort line from 2000 brought it to market. ANC is less effective against sudden or high-pitched sounds, which passive isolation from ear tips handles better. Most ANC earbuds also offer a "transparency" mode that pipes outside sound in. Some people feel a slight pressure sensation.
3. Absolute neutrophil count
Medical · Laboratory Test Abbreviations
Number of neutrophils per microliter, calculated as the total WBC multiplied by the combined percentage of mature neutrophils and bands. It defines neutropenia: mild below 1,500, moderate below 1,000 and severe below 500, the level at which the risk of serious bacterial and fungal infection rises sharply.
Example: ANC 380 on day 10 of chemo; patient placed on neutropenic precautions.
Oncology teams check the ANC before each chemotherapy cycle, and fever with an ANC under 500 (febrile neutropenia) is treated as an emergency with immediate broad-spectrum antibiotics. Many people of African and Middle Eastern ancestry have a lower baseline count, now termed Duffy-null associated neutrophil count, without any increase in infection risk.
4. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
Transportation & Travel · Airport Code Abbreviations
Alaska's largest airport and one of the busiest cargo airports in the world, because it lies within about 9.5 hours' flying time of most of the industrialized world. Freighters between Asia and North America stop there to refuel.
Example: Most 747 freighters from Shanghai to Chicago stop at ANC for fuel and a crew change.
ICAO code PANC; Alaskan ICAO codes start with PA. Named in 2000 for Senator Ted Stevens, who survived a 1978 plane crash at the airport. The adjoining Lake Hood Seaplane Base is often described as the world's busiest seaplane base. Before long-range jets and Russian overflight rights, many Europe-Asia passenger flights also refueled in Anchorage.
Related abbreviations
More world government abbreviations
- AEC – Australian Electoral Commission
- AfD – Alternative for Germany
- AFP – Australian Federal Police
- ALP – Australian Labor Party
- APRA – Australian Prudential Regulation Authority
- ASIC – Australian Securities and Investments Commission
- ASIO – Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
- ASIS – Australian Secret Intelligence Service
See all 103 world government abbreviations →
More consumer electronics abbreviations
- 720p – 720 progressive scan
- 8K – 8K resolution
- ALLM – Auto Low Latency Mode
- AMOLED – Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode
- AR – Augmented reality
- ARC – Audio Return Channel
- ATSC – Advanced Television Systems Committee
- AUX – Auxiliary input
See all 104 consumer electronics abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.