Why Do We Abbreviate “Number” as “No.”?
We’ve all heard the old axiom “there’s no ‘I’ in ‘team,’” but here’s another one for you: There’s no “O” in “number.” OK, maybe this isn’t a nugget of motivational wisdom, but it does make me wonder why “No.” is the standard abbreviation for “number.” English is full of odd
abbreviations — take “lb” as an abbreviation for “pound” (which we touched on in a previous edition), “oz” for “ounce,” or “Rx” for “prescription.” While the letters in an abbreviation don’t always match the full word, there’s usually an etymological story to explain it. Let’s examine “No.” and “number.” This...
