RD
Abbreviation with 8 meanings
| Stands for | Road |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 8 |
| Categories | Geography & Places, Education & Academia, Medical, Units & Measurements, Business & Finance, Writing & Everyday |
| Also written | Rd, rd |
RD has eight meanings. The most common are Road (address) and Regular decision (academic); it can also stand for Registered dietitian, Retinal detachment, Rod, Recurring deposit and Rural delivery, plus 1 more listed below.
Meanings of RD at a glance
| # | RD stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Road | Geography & Places › Address |
| 2 | Regular decision | Education & Academia › Academic |
| 3 | Registered dietitian | Medical › Healthcare Credential |
| 4 | Retinal detachment | Medical › Ophthalmology & ENT |
| 5 | Rod | Units & Measurements › US Customary and Imperial Unit |
| 6 | Recurring deposit | Business & Finance › Banking |
| 7 | Rural delivery | Writing & Everyday › Mail and Postal |
| 8 | Resident director | Education & Academia › Academic |
1. Road (Rd)
Geography & Places · Address Abbreviations
General suffix for a way built for vehicles, typical of rural routes, suburban arterials and older roads that predate city grids. In Britain and Ireland Road is the most common street type of all.
Example: Turn left at the barn onto County Line Rd and continue two miles.
RD is the standard abbreviation in both US and Royal Mail addressing, and periods (Rd.) are optional in prose. Rural road names often describe where the road once led, as in Mill Rd, Church Rd or Ferry Rd.
2. Regular decision
Education & Academia · Academic Abbreviations
Standard admissions round, with deadlines usually between January 1 and January 15 for selective colleges, and decisions released in March or early April. Admitted students typically must commit by May 1, the National Candidates Reply Date.
Example: Most of her applications are RD, due January 1, with decisions expected in late March.
Most college applicants apply through regular decision. Students can apply RD to as many colleges as they like and compare financial aid offers. In residence life, RD means resident director, and in nutrition, registered dietitian.
3. Registered dietitian
Medical · Healthcare Credential Abbreviations
Credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) for nutrition experts who complete accredited education, supervised practice and the national exam. RDs provide medical nutrition therapy in hospitals, clinics and communities.
Example: RD consulted for TPN recommendations and calorie counts.
Since January 1, 2024, candidates need a graduate degree to be eligible for the exam. Candidates who were already eligible before 2024 are exempt, and a supervised practice program is still required. Many states license dietitians, and "nutritionist" is often an unregulated title, unlike RD.
4. Retinal detachment
Medical · Ophthalmology & ENT Abbreviations
Separation of the retina from the underlying layer that supports it, causing new floaters, flashes of light and a shadow or curtain spreading across the vision. It is an emergency because the longer the macula stays detached, the worse the final vision.
Example: Macula-on RD OD, superior tear; urgent pneumatic retinopexy today.
Most detachments are rhegmatogenous, caused by a retinal tear that lets fluid pass under the retina. Repair uses pneumatic retinopexy, scleral buckle or vitrectomy. Nearsightedness, previous eye surgery and trauma raise risk. In nutrition RD means registered dietitian.
5. Rod (rd)
Units & Measurements · US Customary and Imperial Unit Abbreviations
An old length unit of 16.5 feet, 5.5 yards or a quarter of a chain, also called a pole or perch. It survives in historic land deeds, some fence and survey records and canoe-country portage signs in Minnesota and Ontario.
Example: The portage into the next lake is 180 rd, a little over half a mile.
Portages in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness are traditionally given in rods because a rod roughly equals the length of a canoe. Four rods make a chain, and 320 rods make a mile. In Britain, allotment garden plots are still described in rods or poles.
6. Recurring deposit
Business & Finance · Banking Abbreviations
Indian savings product in which the customer deposits a fixed amount every month for a set term, earning interest at a rate similar to fixed deposits. It helps people build savings in regular installments.
Example: She opened a ₹5,000-a-month RD to save for her daughter's college fees.
Terms usually range from six months to ten years, and missed installments may incur a penalty. Both banks and India Post offer recurring deposits. In other contexts RD can mean registered dietitian or, informally, research and development.
7. Rural delivery
Writing & Everyday · Mail and Postal Abbreviations
Identifies a rural delivery route in New Zealand addresses, as in "RD 2, Hamilton," placed after the property number and road name.
Example: Send it to 145 Ridge Road, RD 2, Te Awamutu, New Zealand, and include the postcode.
New Zealand Post assigns RD numbers to rural routes radiating from a town, and the town name and postcode follow the RD number. Rural mail is delivered to roadside mailboxes. In US contexts RD more often abbreviates "road."
8. Resident director
Education & Academia · Academic Abbreviations
Full-time professional staff member who lives in or near a residence hall and supervises its resident assistants, handles student conduct cases and responds to crises. RDs often hold a master's degree in higher education or student affairs.
Example: Contact the RD on call if a roommate conflict cannot be resolved by your RA.
Titles vary by campus, including hall director, area coordinator and residence life coordinator. In college admissions, RD more often means regular decision, and in nutrition it means registered dietitian, so context matters.
Related abbreviations
More address abbreviations
- Plz – Plaza
- PMB – Private mailbox
- PO Box – Post office box
- Pr – Prairie
- Rdg – Ridge
- Riv – River
- Rm – Room
- Rnch – Ranch
See all 118 address abbreviations →
More academic abbreviations
- R1 – Doctoral universities with very high research spending and doctorate…
- R2 – Doctoral universities with high research spending and doctorate…
- RA – Resident assistant
- RCR – Responsible conduct of research
- REA – Restrictive early action
- ROTC – Reserve Officers' Training Corps
- RSO – Registered student organization
- SACSCOC – Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
See all 124 academic abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.