PK
Abbreviation with 9 meanings
| Stands for | Pharmacokinetics |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 9 |
| Categories | Medical, Sports, Geography & Places, Units & Measurements, Technology & Computing, Texting & Internet Slang, Writing & Everyday |
| Also written | pk, Pk. |
PK has nine meanings. The most common are Pharmacokinetics (pharmacology) and Penalty kick (soccer (Association football)); it can also stand for Penalty kill, Pakistan, Peak, Peck and Primary key, plus 2 more listed below.
Meanings of PK at a glance
| # | PK stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmacokinetics | Medical › Pharmacology |
| 2 | Penalty kick | Sports › Soccer (Association Football) |
| 3 | Penalty kill | Sports › Ice Hockey |
| 4 | Pakistan | Geography & Places › Country Code |
| 5 | Peak | Geography & Places › Geographic Feature |
| 6 | Peck | Units & Measurements › US Customary and Imperial Unit |
| 7 | Primary key | Technology & Computing › Data & Database |
| 8 | Player killer | Texting & Internet Slang › Gaming Slang |
| 9 | Pack | Writing & Everyday › Everyday |
1. Pharmacokinetics
Medical · Pharmacology Abbreviations
Study of what the body does to a drug: how it is absorbed, distributed into tissues, metabolized and eliminated over time. PK parameters such as half-life, clearance and peak concentration determine dose size and dosing interval.
Example: Pharmacy to dose vancomycin per PK protocol; trough before the fourth dose.
Often paired with PD (pharmacodynamics) as "PK/PD". Hospital pharmacists run PK consult services for drugs with narrow therapeutic ranges, such as vancomycin and aminoglycosides. Population PK modeling uses data from many patients to predict doses for individuals, including children and people with kidney failure.
2. Penalty kick
Sports · Soccer (Association Football) Abbreviations
Free shot at goal from the penalty spot, 11 meters (12 yards) out, awarded for a foul inside the penalty area. Only the goalkeeper may defend it.
Example: He converted the PK in the 89th minute to win the match.
Penalty shootouts were adopted by FIFA in 1970, and the first World Cup shootout was West Germany against France in 1982. Typical conversion rates are around 75 to 80 percent. In hockey PK means penalty kill.
3. Penalty kill
Sports · Ice Hockey Abbreviations
Situation in which a team plays short-handed while serving a penalty, trying to prevent a goal until the penalty expires. Penalty-kill percentage measures how often a team succeeds.
Example: Their PK has killed 24 straight penalties over the last eight games.
Penalty-killers are often defensive specialists who block shots and clear the puck. A team on the penalty kill may ice the puck without a faceoff in its own zone. In soccer PK means penalty kick.
4. Pakistan
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
Pakistan, capital Islamabad, alpha-3 PAK, is the world's fifth most populous country. It became independent in 1947 with the partition of British India, and Urdu and English are official languages.
Example: Freelancers in PK earn payments through international platforms in dollars.
Pakistan Standard Time is UTC+5. The rupee trades as PKR. In gaming PK means player killing.
5. Peak (Pk.)
Geography & Places · Geographic Feature Abbreviations
Map abbreviation for a mountain summit, especially in Colorado and the West, as in Pikes Pk. or Longs Pk.
Example: Trail conditions above treeline on Longs Pk. change by the hour.
Pk. can also mean Park, so map legends define it. The view from Pikes Peak, at 14,115 feet, inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write America the Beautiful in 1893.
6. Peck (pk)
Units & Measurements · US Customary and Imperial Unit Abbreviations
A dry measure equal to a quarter bushel, 8 dry quarts or about 8.8 liters. Orchards and farm stands still sell apples, peaches and tomatoes by the peck and half peck.
Example: Pick-your-own apples: $18 per pk, $30 per half bushel.
Best known from the tongue twister "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". A peck of apples weighs roughly 10 to 12 pounds, depending on variety. The British imperial peck is slightly larger, about 9.1 liters. Pk can also mean pack on retail labels.
7. Primary key
Technology & Computing · Data & Database Abbreviations
A column or set of columns whose values uniquely identify each row in a database table; it can be neither null nor duplicated. Other tables reference it through foreign keys.
Example: Use order_id as the PK and add a unique index on the external reference number.
Keys can be natural, such as an ISBN, or surrogate, such as an auto-increment integer or UUID with no business meaning. Most databases automatically index the primary key. In online gaming PK means player killing, and in pharmacology pharmacokinetics.
8. Player killer
Texting & Internet Slang · Gaming Slang Abbreviations
Player who attacks and kills other players in games where that is allowed, often to steal items or for fun. Also a verb ("got PK'd") and noun for the kill itself.
Example: Got PK'd in the wilderness and lost all my gear.
Common in early MMORPGs such as Ultima Online and RuneScape, where PKing was feared and controversial. Some games mark PKers with red names or penalties. In sports PK means a penalty kick.
9. Pack (pk)
Writing & Everyday · Everyday Abbreviations
Gives a multipack or package size on product labels and in listings, as in "6 pk" of soda or "3 pk" socks.
Example: Pick up a 12 pk of sparkling water and two bags of ice for the cookout.
Retailers also write pk. or PK, and invoices may use PK as a unit of measure. Combining pack and count matters: "3 pk, 12 ct." means three packages of 12 items each. In soccer PK means penalty kick, and in hockey penalty kill.
Related abbreviations
More pharmacology abbreviations
- P-gp – P-glycoprotein
- PD – Pharmacodynamics
- PGx – Pharmacogenomics
- PIM – Potentially inappropriate medication
- SAE – Serious adverse event
- STOPP – Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions
- t1/2 – Half-life
- TI – Therapeutic index
See all 36 pharmacology abbreviations →
More soccer (Association football) abbreviations
- LW – Left winger
- MOTD – Match of the Day
- MOTM – Man of the Match
- OG – Own goal
- PL – Premier League
- PSR – Profit and Sustainability Rules
- RB – Right back
- RM – Right midfielder
See all 46 soccer (Association football) abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.