P.S.
Abbreviation with 13 meanings
| Stands for | Post scriptum (postscript) |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 13 |
| Categories | Writing & Everyday, Religion, Units & Measurements, Science & Engineering, Medical, Geography & Places, Technology & Computing, Education & Academia, Military, Sports |
| Also written | PS, Ps. |
P.S. has 13 meanings. The most common are Post scriptum (postscript) (Latin) and Psalms (Bible book); it can also stand for Pferdestärke (metric horsepower), Polystyrene, Performance status, Pulmonic stenosis and Palestine, plus 6 more listed below.
Meanings of P.S. at a glance
| # | P.S. stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Post scriptum (postscript) | Writing & Everyday › Latin |
| 2 | Psalms | Religion › Bible Book |
| 3 | Pferdestärke (metric horsepower) | Units & Measurements › Engineering Unit |
| 4 | Polystyrene | Science & Engineering › Chemistry |
| 5 | Performance status | Medical › Hematology and Oncology |
| 6 | Pulmonic stenosis | Medical › Cardiology |
| 7 | Palestine | Geography & Places › Country Code |
| 8 | PostScript | Technology & Computing › File Format |
| 9 | Power steering | Writing & Everyday › Classified Ad |
| 10 | Personal statement | Education & Academia › Academic |
| 11 | Personnel Specialist | Military › US Navy and Coast Guard Rating |
| 12 | Practice squad | Sports › American Football |
| 13 | Postal Service (form prefix) | Writing & Everyday › Mail and Postal |
1. Post scriptum (postscript)
Writing & Everyday · Latin Abbreviations
Introduces an afterthought added after the signature of a letter or at the end of an email or card. In handwritten correspondence it was the only way to add a point once the letter was finished; today writers often use it deliberately to give a final line extra emphasis.
Example: Thanks again for hosting us. Love, Ana. P.S. I think I left my scarf on your coat rack.
The Latin means "written after." American style favors P.S. with periods, while British writers often use PS. A second afterthought is P.P.S., not P.S.S. In email the device survives as a stylistic choice even though text can be inserted anywhere, and fundraising and sales letters routinely place a key appeal there because readers tend to glance at it first. The plural is P.S.'s or PSs.
2. Psalms (Ps.)
Religion · Bible Book Abbreviations
Collection of 150 sacred songs and prayers, many traditionally attributed to King David, used in Jewish and Christian worship for millennia. Famous examples include Psalm 23 ("The Lord is my shepherd") and Psalm 51, a prayer of repentance.
Example: The funeral program printed the text of Ps. 23.
Use Ps. for a single psalm and Pss. for several; SBL uses Ps and Pss, and short forms also use Ps. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible (176 verses) and Psalm 117 the shortest. Greek and Latin Bibles number most psalms one lower than Hebrew-based Bibles, so Psalm 23 is Psalm 22 in the Vulgate.
3. Pferdestärke (metric horsepower) (PS)
Units & Measurements · Engineering Unit Abbreviations
Metric horsepower, defined as 75 kilogram-force meters per second, about 735.5 watts or 0.986 mechanical hp. German, Japanese and many other European manufacturers quote engine output in PS.
Example: The diesel engine produces 150 PS and 340 Nm of torque.
From German Pferdestärke, "horse strength". The same unit is called cv (cheval-vapeur) in France and Italy, pk in the Netherlands and hk in Scandinavia. EU rules require power in kW, so brochures often show both, as in 110 kW (150 PS). The gap from mechanical hp is only about 1.4 percent.
4. Polystyrene (PS)
Science & Engineering · Chemistry Abbreviations
Plastic made from styrene, produced as rigid clear polystyrene for disposable cutlery, CD cases and laboratory dishes, and as lightweight foam for cups, packaging and insulation. Solid polystyrene is brittle, and the foam is hard to recycle, so many cities have banned foam food containers.
Example: Petri dishes are made of clear PS and sterilized by gamma irradiation.
Resin identification code 6. The everyday word Styrofoam is actually a trademark for an extruded polystyrene foam used in building insulation, not for disposable cups, which are expanded polystyrene. Eduard Simon first isolated polystyrene from a natural resin in 1839.
5. Performance status (PS)
Medical · Hematology and Oncology Abbreviations
Measure of a person's general level of functioning and ability to carry out daily activities, used in oncology to estimate prognosis and tolerance of treatment. It is usually expressed on the ECOG (0 to 5) or Karnofsky (0 to 100) scales.
Example: PS 3 with progressive disease; goals-of-care discussion favors best supportive care.
Poor performance status strongly predicts treatment toxicity and shorter survival, so chemotherapy is often avoided in patients with ECOG PS 3 or 4, although some targeted therapies with dramatic responses are an exception. Many trials limit enrollment to PS 0 to 1, which means results may not apply to frailer patients. In cardiology PS means pulmonic stenosis.
6. Pulmonic stenosis (PS)
Medical · Cardiology Abbreviations
Narrowing at or near the pulmonary valve that obstructs flow from the right ventricle to the lungs, nearly always congenital. Mild cases need no treatment, while moderate to severe obstruction is usually relieved by balloon valvuloplasty, often in childhood.
Example: Systolic ejection murmur with an ejection click at the left upper sternal border; echo: moderate valvular PS.
Also called pulmonary valve stenosis. It is one component of tetralogy of Fallot and is associated with Noonan syndrome, in which the valve is often dysplastic. Unusually for a right-sided sound, the pulmonic ejection click softens with inspiration. In oncology PS means performance status, so the specialty usually clarifies.
7. Palestine (PS)
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
ISO lists the State of Palestine, covering the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with the code PS and alpha-3 PSE. The Palestinian Authority's administration is based in Ramallah, and the .ps domain is managed locally.
Example: Charities list PS as the destination country for humanitarian transfers to Gaza.
Most UN member states recognize the State of Palestine, which has observer status at the United Nations. PS also means postscript and PlayStation.
8. PostScript (PS)
Technology & Computing · File Format Abbreviations
Page description language and file format from Adobe that describes text, vector graphics and images for printing; it is also a full programming language. Files end in .ps and are sent to PostScript printers or converted to PDF.
Example: The thesis template generates a PS file, which the script then converts to PDF.
John Warnock and Charles Geschke, who left Xerox PARC to found Adobe, released PostScript in 1984. Its use in Apple's LaserWriter printer (1985) with Aldus PageMaker launched the desktop publishing revolution, and PDF later grew out of it. The free Ghostscript interpreter renders PostScript on any system. Adobe ended support for PostScript Type 1 fonts in its applications in 2023.
9. Power steering (PS)
Writing & Everyday · Classified Ad Abbreviations
Lists power steering among a vehicle's features in used-car ads, as in "auto, A/C, PS, PB." Because it is standard on nearly all modern cars, the abbreviation is mostly seen in older-car listings.
Example: 1978 pickup, 350 V8, auto, PS, PB, runs and drives great, $9,500.
Hydraulic power steering became widespread in American cars in the 1950s, and electric power steering has largely replaced it since the 2000s, saving fuel. Old newspaper car ads strung features together (PS, PB, PW, PL, AM/FM) to save paid space. "No PS" warns of heavy steering at low speeds.
10. Personal statement (PS)
Education & Academia · Academic Abbreviations
Admissions essay in which applicants describe experiences, motivations and character, such as the Common App essay of up to 650 words for US colleges or the personal statement for medical school. Admissions forums and counselors abbreviate it constantly.
Example: I've rewritten my PS four times and it's finally under 650 words.
UCAS personal statements for UK universities follow a different format; from 2026 entry they consist of three structured questions. In general writing, PS means postscript, a note added after a letter's signature. Applicants are warned that recycled or AI-generated essays may be flagged.
11. Personnel Specialist (PS)
Military · US Navy and Coast Guard Rating Abbreviations
Administrative sailors who manage pay, entitlements, personnel records, travel claims and identification cards for their command's members. They run customer service desks at personnel support detachments and aboard ships.
Example: PS2 Herrera fixed the error in my BAH entitlement and processed my travel claim.
The rating was formed in the mid-2000s by combining Personnelman and Disbursing Clerk. Personnel specialists are often the first stop for sailors with pay problems. In letters and email, PS also means postscript, by far the more common meaning of the letters.
12. Practice squad (PS)
Sports · American Football Abbreviations
Group of NFL players who practice with a team but are not on the active roster; other clubs may sign them to their own 53-man rosters. Teams can elevate practice-squad players for game days a limited number of times each season.
Example: The Bills signed a receiver off another team's PS to cover their injuries.
The limit rose to 16 players in 2022, with an extra spot available for an International Player Pathway athlete. Practice-squad pay is a weekly salary well below the active-roster minimum. In gaming PS refers to PlayStation, and in letters to a postscript.
13. Postal Service (form prefix) (PS)
Writing & Everyday · Mail and Postal Abbreviations
Prefixes the numbers of official US Postal Service forms, as in PS Form 3811 (return receipt) or PS Form 3575 (change of address). It appears on printed forms and in postal regulations.
Example: Fill out PS Form 3800 at the counter to send the letter by Certified Mail.
PS Form 3800 is the Certified Mail receipt, and PS Form 1583 authorizes a commercial mail-receiving agency to accept mail for a customer. Forms are available at post office counters and on the USPS website. On letters, P.S. means postscript, an unrelated abbreviation.
Related abbreviations
More Latin abbreviations
- p.a. – Per annum (per year)
- p.m. – Post meridiem (after midday)
- p.p. – Per procurationem (by agency, on behalf of)
- P.P.S. – Post-post-scriptum (a second postscript)
- pinx. – Pinxit (painted it)
- pro tem. – Pro tempore (for the time being)
- prox. – Proximo mense (next month)
- q.v. – Quod vide (which see)
See all 53 Latin abbreviations →
More Bible book abbreviations
- Phil. – Philippians
- Phlm. – Philemon
- Pr. Man. – Prayer of Manasseh
- Prov. – Proverbs
- Rev. – Revelation
- Rom. – Romans
- Ru – Ruth
- Sir. – Sirach
See all 77 Bible book abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.