Long before "LOL" and "FOMO" hit the internet, tiny abbreviations go all the way back to Latin. Derived from the Latin word brevis, meaning short, abbreviations are a helpful way to shorten cumbersome phrases. Whether you’re using pronounceable acronyms (like POTUS or NASA) or initialisms (like FYI or FAQ), there's an abbreviation for almost any sitch.
e.g.
While it's considered a dead language, you might know more Latin than you think. "E.g." stands for exempli gratia and means, quite simply, "for example." You may use it to spark inspiration, such as saying, “I’d like to see some unique themes for the reception, e.g. Under the Sea or Murder Mystery.”
i.e.
Although some people use "e.g." and "i.e." interchangeably, they do have different meanings. "I.e." means id est, which translates into "in other words." Compared to "e.g.," the intent is to provide some subtext or clarity to whatever you’re saying, such as, “There’s just not room in the budget this year, i.e. ask again in three months.”
etc.
Yet another Latin abbreviation, this one is shortened from et cetera, which means "left over," or "the rest." It’s used to avoid spelling out an entire list by highlighting a few basic examples. You could say, “We need to go shopping for pizza toppings like cheese, tomato sauce, mushrooms, etc.”
et al.
If you're speaking Latin, you should know that the abbreviation "et al." has a few different forms — et alia (neutral plural), as well as et alii (masculine) and et aliae (feminine). When you use the abbreviation, don't worry about which form to use. All of these mean the same thing: "and others." It’s commonly used to describe multiple contributors to a written or other creative work. For example, you could say, “The song ‘Shallow’ was written by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, et al.” While "et al." is meant only to be used for citations, some people do use it in a similar way to "etc."
B.C. / A.D.
History buffs will likely already know the meaning of these two acronyms. "B.C." means before Christ, while "A.D." stands for anno Domini, which translates into in the year of the master. Both of these terms are used in calculating the Julian and Gregorian calendars (AKA the most widely used calendars in the world), with A.D. counting the years after Jesus of Nazareth is thought to have been born. Modern historians, however, have adopted B.C.E. and C.E. which stand for "Before Common Era" and "Common Era" respectively and serve as secular abbreviations for the marking of time.