df
Abbreviation with 5 meanings
| Stands for | Degrees of freedom |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 5 |
| Categories | Units & Measurements, Geography & Places, Texting & Internet Slang, Sports |
| Also written | DF |
df has five meanings. The most common are Degrees of freedom (statistics) and Dairy-free (cooking); it can also stand for Distrito Federal (Mexico City), Dear fiancé and Double fault.
Meanings of df at a glance
| # | df stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Degrees of freedom | Units & Measurements › Statistics |
| 2 | Dairy-free | Units & Measurements › Cooking |
| 3 | Distrito Federal (Mexico City) | Geography & Places › City and Neighborhood |
| 4 | Dear fiancé | Texting & Internet Slang › Dating and Relationship |
| 5 | Double fault | Sports › Other Sports |
1. Degrees of freedom
Units & Measurements · Statistics Abbreviations
The number of independent values free to vary when computing a statistic, which sets the shape of the t, chi-square and F distributions. For a one-sample t-test, df = n − 1.
Example: With 24 participants, the paired t-test has df = 23.
Intuitively, estimating the mean uses up one degree of freedom, leaving n − 1 for estimating variability, and each extra regression coefficient costs one more. APA style reports df in parentheses after the statistic, as in t(23) = 2.10. In computing, df is also the Unix disk-free command and the usual name for a pandas DataFrame.
2. Dairy-free (DF)
Units & Measurements · Cooking Abbreviations
Menu, recipe and packaging label for foods made without milk or milk-derived ingredients such as butter, cream, cheese, whey and casein. It serves people with milk allergy, lactose intolerance or vegan diets.
Example: Swap in coconut yogurt to keep the dressing DF.
Unlike gluten-free, dairy-free has no legal definition from the FDA, so labels vary. Products sold in the US as "non-dairy", such as some coffee creamers, may legally contain milk-derived caseinate, which must be identified as a milk derivative. Lactose-free milk is still dairy and therefore not DF.
3. Distrito Federal (Mexico City) (DF)
Geography & Places · City and Neighborhood Abbreviations
Former designation of Mexico City as Mexico's Federal District, used on addresses, license plates and in everyday speech (el De Efe) until a 2016 reform renamed it Ciudad de México, abbreviated CDMX.
Example: Older maps still show Coyoacán, DF, rather than CDMX.
Many residents still say el DF out of habit. Mexico City is the seat of the federal government but now has a local constitution and mayor with powers similar to a state governor.
4. Dear fiancé (DF)
Texting & Internet Slang · Dating and Relationship Abbreviations
Affectionate term for one's fiancé or fiancée on wedding-planning and parenting forums, as in "DF and I booked the venue." It follows the forum convention of prefixing family members with "dear."
Example: DF and I finally picked a date, next October at the vineyard.
Part of the "dear" family of forum abbreviations with DH (dear husband), DW (dear wife) and DS (dear son). Common on The Knot, WeddingWire and Mumsnet. The "dear" can be sincere or wryly ironic depending on the story that follows.
5. Double fault (DF)
Sports · Other Sports Abbreviations
Tennis error in which the server misses both the first and second serve, losing the point. Double faults often rise under pressure and in high winds.
Example: Three DF in one service game handed him the break.
Players may hit their second serve more conservatively to avoid double faults. Statistics sheets show aces and double faults side by side. In American football DF can informally mean defensive front.
Related abbreviations
More statistics abbreviations
- CI – Confidence interval
- CLT – Central limit theorem
- Cov – Covariance
- CV – Coefficient of variation
- DiD – Difference-in-differences
- DOE – Design of experiments
- EDA – Exploratory data analysis
- EFA – Exploratory factor analysis
See all 88 statistics abbreviations →