Rev.
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Reverend |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Religion, Writing & Everyday |
| Also written | rev. |
Rev. has four meanings. The most common are Reverend (religious title) and Revelation (Bible book); it can also stand for Revised and Review.
Meanings of Rev. at a glance
| # | Rev. stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reverend | Religion › Religious Title |
| 2 | Revelation | Religion › Bible Book |
| 3 | Revised | Writing & Everyday › Citation and Bibliography |
| 4 | Review | Writing & Everyday › Citation and Bibliography |
1. Reverend
Religion · Religious Title Abbreviations
Honorific style placed before the names of Christian clergy, such as ministers, priests and deacons, in many denominations. Formally it is an adjective, so traditional usage requires "the" and a first name or initial: "the Rev. Jane Smith," not "Rev. Smith".
Example: The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery.
AP style uses "the Rev." before a full name on first reference and only the surname afterward. British usage favors "Revd" without a period. Higher clergy use graded forms such as the Very Rev., the Rt. Rev. and the Most Rev. In Bible citations, Rev. instead abbreviates the book of Revelation.
2. Revelation
Religion · Bible Book Abbreviations
Final book of the Christian Bible, 22 chapters of apocalyptic visions given to John on the island of Patmos, including the four horsemen (chapter 6), the beast whose number is 666 (13:18) and the new heaven and new earth (chapter 21).
Example: The number of the beast is given in Rev. 13:18.
SBL writes Rev, and Catholic Bibles and Chicago's short forms use Rv. The correct title is singular, Revelation, not "Revelations". Its Greek name, Apokalypsis, gives English the word apocalypse. In church titles, Rev. instead abbreviates Reverend.
3. Revised (rev.)
Writing & Everyday · Citation and Bibliography Abbreviations
Marks a revised edition of a book, one updated or corrected after first publication, as in "rev. ed." It appears in citations, catalog records and title pages.
Example: Cite the rev. ed. of the handbook, since the 2015 printing corrected the earlier statistics.
Citations write "rev. ed." or "2nd ed., rev." Revised editions may change pagination, so page references must match the edition consulted. Combined forms include "rev. and enl." (revised and enlarged). As a title, Rev. means Reverend, an unrelated abbreviation in religious usage.
4. Review (rev.)
Writing & Everyday · Citation and Bibliography Abbreviations
Introduces a review in citations, as in "rev. of" followed by the reviewed work's title and author. It also appears in abbreviated journal names, particularly in law.
Example: Hughes, Anna. Rev. of The Long Shore, by M. Cole. City Review, 3 May 2019, p. 14.
MLA 9 writes "Review of" in full rather than "rev. of." Legal citation abbreviates review in journal titles, as in Harv. L. Rev. for the Harvard Law Review. Because the same abbreviation can also mean "revised," style guides favor whichever form leaves no doubt.
Related abbreviations
More religious title abbreviations
- PP – Parish priest
- Pr. – Pastor
- Preb. – Prebendary
- R. – Rabbi
- Revd – Reverend
- RSCJ – Society of the Sacred Heart
- RSM – Religious Sisters of Mercy
- Rt. Rev. – Right Reverend
See all 60 religious title abbreviations →