D
Abbreviation with 7 meanings
| Stands for | Democrat (party label) |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 7 |
| Categories | Government & Politics, Units & Measurements, Writing & Everyday, Sports, Medical |
| Also written | d, d. |
D has seven meanings. The most common are Democrat (party label) (political) and Day (time); it can also stand for Died, Defenseman, Deci- (tenth), Denarius (penny) and Decongestant.
Meanings of D at a glance
| # | D stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Democrat (party label) | Government & Politics › Political |
| 2 | Day | Units & Measurements › Time |
| 3 | Died | Writing & Everyday › Genealogy |
| 4 | Defenseman | Sports › Ice Hockey |
| 5 | Deci- (tenth) | Units & Measurements › Metric and SI Unit |
| 6 | Denarius (penny) | Writing & Everyday › Latin |
| 7 | Decongestant | Medical › Pharmacy |
1. Democrat (party label)
Government & Politics · Political Abbreviations
Single-letter label for the Democratic Party used after politicians' names in news copy, vote tallies and election results, usually combined with a state abbreviation, as in "Sen. Jane Doe, D-Mass." or "(D-CA)".
Example: The amendment's sponsor, Rep. Lopez (D-Texas), urged colleagues to support it.
AP style uses the format "D-Mass." with the AP state abbreviation, while many outlets and congressional websites use postal codes, as in "D-MA". On election maps Democrats are conventionally shown in blue, a color scheme that became standard only around the 2000 election. The adjective in AP style is "Democratic", not "Democrat".
2. Day (d)
Units & Measurements · Time Abbreviations
Symbol for the day, 24 hours or 86,400 seconds, accepted for use with SI. It appears in science, medicine, finance and software, as in a half-life of 8 d, antibiotics for 10 d or a 30d return.
Example: Iodine-131 has a half-life of about 8 d, so its radioactivity halves every week or so.
Prescriptions use d in duration notes such as "x 10 d" and in older daily-dosing shorthand such as q.d., which The Joint Commission now prohibits because it has been misread as q.i.d. (four times daily). Investment charts label time ranges 1D, 5D, 1M and 1Y. Lowercase d is also the prefix deci- and, in old British money, the penny.
3. Died (d.)
Writing & Everyday · Genealogy Abbreviations
Precedes the date or place of death in genealogies, biographies, encyclopedias and gravestone transcriptions, as in "d. 1918."
Example: John Mercer, farmer (b. 1802, d. 1871), is buried in the family plot behind the chapel.
Genealogical records add qualifiers such as "d. young," "d. unm." (died unmarried) or "d. inf." (died in infancy). Continental European sources often use a dagger symbol instead. In British pre-decimal money, d. meant a penny, a different abbreviation entirely.
4. Defenseman
Sports · Ice Hockey Abbreviations
Skater who plays primarily in his own half, defending against attacks, blocking shots and moving the puck up the ice. Teams dress six defensemen in three pairs.
Example: The D led all skaters with 26 minutes of ice time.
Bobby Orr revolutionized the position by joining the attack and is the only defenseman to win the scoring title, in 1970 and 1975. The Norris Trophy honors the best defenseman. "Blue line" is a common nickname for a team's defense corps.
5. Deci- (tenth) (d)
Units & Measurements · Metric and SI Unit Abbreviations
One tenth (10^-1) of the base unit. Its best-known uses are the deciliter in American lab results (mg/dL) and Scandinavian recipes, and the decibel, a tenth of a bel.
Example: A fasting blood glucose of 95 mg/dL falls within the normal range.
From Latin decimus, tenth; one of the original 1795 prefixes. US lab reports use mg/dL for glucose and cholesterol, while most other countries report the same tests in mmol/L. The decimeter (10 cm) is taught in schools across Europe and Asia but seldom used elsewhere. As a standalone symbol, d means day.
6. Denarius (penny) (d.)
Writing & Everyday · Latin Abbreviations · also used in business
Denotes pence in Britain's pre-decimal currency, where 12 pennies made a shilling and 20 shillings made a pound. Prices such as 6d. (sixpence) or 2s. 6d. (half a crown) appear in older books, menus, price tags and coin catalogs.
Example: The 1950s cafe menu listed tea at 4d. a cup and a currant bun at 3d.
The system of pounds, shillings and pence, written £sd, comes from the Roman librae, solidi and denarii. Britain and Ireland both switched to decimal currency on 15 February 1971, after which the new penny was abbreviated p. The old penny was 1/240 of a pound, the new one 1/100. In genealogy the same letter abbreviates "died."
7. Decongestant
Medical · Pharmacy Abbreviations
Suffix on allergy combination products that add pseudoephedrine, such as Claritin-D, Allegra-D and Zyrtec-D. In the US these are kept behind the pharmacy counter because pseudoephedrine can be used to make methamphetamine.
Example: Claritin-D 24 Hour: loratadine 10 mg with pseudoephedrine 240 mg; ID required.
The Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 limits pseudoephedrine sales to 3.6 g per day and 9 g per 30 days per purchaser, with ID and logbook requirements. Pseudoephedrine can raise blood pressure and heart rate, so "D" products are often avoided in uncontrolled hypertension.
Related abbreviations
More political abbreviations
- CBC – Congressional Black Caucus
- CPAC – Conservative Political Action Conference
- CPC – Congressional Progressive Caucus
- CR – Continuing resolution
- DCCC – Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
- DGA – Democratic Governors Association
- DINO – Democrat in name only
- DNC – Democratic National Committee
See all 91 political abbreviations →
More time abbreviations
- BCE – Before the Common Era
- BP – Before Present
- CE – Common Era
- CY – Calendar year
- DD – Day (two-digit, in date formats)
- DD/MM/YYYY – Day/month/year (date format)
- FY – Fiscal year
- h – Hour
See all 51 time abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.