CC

Abbreviation with 8 meanings

CC
Stands for	Carbon copy
Meanings	8
Categories	Writing & Everyday, Medical, Units & Measurements, Technology & Computing, Texting & Internet Slang, Education & Academia, Transportation & Travel, Geography & Places
Also written	cc

CC has eight meanings. The most common are Carbon copy (email and office) and Chief complaint (medical documentation); it can also stand for Cubic centimeter, Creative Commons, Crowd control, Community college and AC Chair Car, plus 1 more listed below.

Meanings of CC at a glance

#	CC stands for	Context
1	Carbon copy	Writing & Everyday › Email and Office
2	Chief complaint	Medical › Medical Documentation
3	Cubic centimeter	Units & Measurements › Metric and SI Unit
4	Creative Commons	Technology & Computing › Software
5	Crowd control	Texting & Internet Slang › Gaming Slang
6	Community college	Education & Academia › Academic
7	AC Chair Car	Transportation & Travel › Rail and Transit
8	Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Geography & Places › Country Code

1. Carbon copy

Writing & Everyday · Email and Office Abbreviations

Adds recipients to an email who should receive a copy for their information, with their addresses visible to everyone on the message. In printed letters, a "cc:" line at the bottom lists people who received copies.

Example: I'll CC my manager on the reply so she has the full history of the request.

The name comes from carbon paper, which typists used to make duplicates of letters before photocopiers. As a verb it is written cc'd or CC'd. Etiquette holds that the To line is for people expected to act and CC for those being kept informed. Some writers reinterpret the letters as "courtesy copy." Unrelated: cc for cubic centimeters in engine sizes and medicine.

2. Chief complaint

Medical · Medical Documentation Abbreviations

Main reason the patient seeks care, ideally recorded in the patient's own words, such as "chest pain" or "can't catch my breath". It heads the history and is documented at every visit and triage.

Example: CC: "I've had the worst headache of my life since noon."

Quoting the patient's words preserves meaning that clinical terms can lose. Emergency departments often record a standardized chief complaint for triage and statistics. In pharmacy and older prescriptions cc means cubic centimeter, an abbreviation ISMP lists as error-prone; mL is preferred.

3. Cubic centimeter (cc)

Units & Measurements · Metric and SI Unit Abbreviations · also used in medicine

One cubic centimeter, exactly equal to one milliliter. The abbreviation lives on in engine displacement, as in a 250 cc motorcycle, in syringe markings and in older medical orders.

Example: Buyers comparing dirt bikes often start with the 125 cc and 250 cc classes.

Car engines are sized the same way, so a 2.0-liter engine displaces about 2,000 cc. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices lists cc as error-prone in medication orders because a handwritten cc can be mistaken for u (units) or zeros; mL is recommended instead. In email, cc means carbon copy.

4. Creative Commons

Technology & Computing · Software Abbreviations · also used in law

Nonprofit organization and set of free public copyright licenses that let creators permit reuse of their work under chosen conditions, such as attribution or noncommercial use only. Wikipedia, Flickr and many open-access journals use CC licenses.

Example: The photo is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, so credit the photographer and share any adaptations under the same terms.

Lawrence Lessig and colleagues founded Creative Commons in 2001 and released the first licenses in 2002; version 4.0 (2013) is current. License elements combine BY (attribution), SA (share-alike), NC (noncommercial) and ND (no derivatives). CC licenses are meant for creative works, and the organization recommends established open-source licenses for software. In email, CC means carbon copy.

5. Crowd control

Texting & Internet Slang · Gaming Slang Abbreviations

Abilities that limit an enemy's actions, such as stuns, slows, roots, silences and knock-ups. Central to team fights in MOBAs and MMORPGs.

Example: Save your CC for their carry, he's the real threat.

"Chain CC" means using several crowd-control abilities in sequence to disable a target. Items and abilities that reduce CC are valued in competitive play. In email, CC means carbon copy, and in vehicles cubic centimeters, unrelated senses.

6. Community college

Education & Academia · Academic Abbreviations

Public two-year college offering associate degrees, certificates, transfer pathways, workforce training and adult education, usually with open admission and low tuition. Roughly a thousand public community colleges serve millions of US students.

Example: He saved thousands by taking his general education courses at the CC before transferring.

Joliet Junior College in Illinois, founded in 1901, is considered the oldest public community college. Many now offer applied bachelor's degrees. The same initials mean "carbon copy" in email, so CC is clearer in academic contexts when spelled out the first time.

7. AC Chair Car

Transportation & Travel · Rail and Transit Abbreviations

Air-conditioned seating class on Indian Railways day trains such as Shatabdi Express and Vande Bharat Express, with reclining seats in rows. Meals are often included in the fare.

Example: The Vande Bharat CC seats were comfortable, and the meal came included.

An Executive Chair Car (EC) class offers wider seats and better catering. Chair car is used on shorter intercity routes where overnight berths are unnecessary. Vande Bharat trains, introduced in 2019, are semi-high-speed electric trainsets built in India.

8. Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations

Australian territory of 27 coral islands in the Indian Ocean with about 600 residents, mostly Cocos Malays. The Cocos (Keeling) Islands' .cc domain is marketed worldwide as a generic alternative to .com.

Example: The .cc address was cheaper than the .com, though the registry is administered for the Cocos Islands.

The .cc registry has been operated commercially by Verisign. West Island is the administrative center. CC also means carbon copy in email and cubic centimetre.

More email and office abbreviations

ASAP – As soon as possible
BCC – Blind carbon copy
BLUF – Bottom line up front
BR – Best regards
COB – Close of business
COP – Close of play
DL – Distribution list
Encl. – Enclosure

See all 60 email and office abbreviations →

CC