AV
Abbreviation with 7 meanings
| Stands for | Atrioventricular |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 7 |
| Categories | Medical, Technology & Computing, Transportation & Travel, Law & Legal |
AV has seven meanings. The most common are Atrioventricular (cardiology) and Antivirus (cybersecurity); it can also stand for Audio-visual, Avianca, Actuarial value, Aortic valve and AV Preeminent rating.
Meanings of AV at a glance
| # | AV stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atrioventricular | Medical › Cardiology |
| 2 | Antivirus | Technology & Computing › Cybersecurity |
| 3 | Audio-visual | Technology & Computing › Consumer Electronics |
| 4 | Avianca | Transportation & Travel › Airline Code |
| 5 | Actuarial value | Medical › Health Insurance |
| 6 | Aortic valve | Medical › Cardiology |
| 7 | AV Preeminent rating | Law & Legal › Legal Profession |
1. Atrioventricular
Medical · Cardiology Abbreviations
Describes the junction between the atria and ventricles, especially the AV node, the electrical relay that delays impulses so the atria can empty before the ventricles contract, and the AV valves (mitral and tricuspid). It appears in terms such as AV block, AV dissociation and AV nodal blockers.
Example: Rate control with AV nodal blockers failed; AV node ablation with a pacemaker discussed.
AV node ablation combined with a pacemaker, sometimes called "ablate and pace," is a last-resort strategy for atrial fibrillation with uncontrollable rates. AV nodal blocking drugs include beta-blockers, nondihydropyridine calcium channel blockers, digoxin and adenosine. In echo reports AV can also mean aortic valve, and in general use audiovisual.
2. Antivirus
Technology & Computing · Cybersecurity Abbreviations
Software that detects, blocks and removes malware on computers and phones, using signatures of known threats along with behavior monitoring and cloud reputation checks. Microsoft Defender is built into Windows.
Example: The AV quarantined the attachment before the user could open it.
Commercial antivirus programs appeared in the late 1980s, including McAfee VirusScan in 1987. Signature matching alone misses new threats, so the industry moved toward next-generation antivirus and endpoint detection and response. Independent labs such as AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives benchmark products. In electronics AV means audio-visual.
3. Audio-visual
Technology & Computing · Consumer Electronics Abbreviations
Equipment, connections and services that combine sound and pictures, such as projectors, AV receivers, conference-room systems and the composite cables once used to connect VCRs and consoles. Schools and offices often have an AV team.
Example: Call AV before the presentation; the projector in room 4 won't show the laptop screen.
"AV cables" traditionally meant three RCA plugs: yellow for composite video and red and white for stereo audio. Professional AV covers digital signage, video conferencing and live-event production. In cybersecurity, AV is short for antivirus software, so context matters.
4. Avianca
Transportation & Travel · Airline Code Abbreviations
Colombia's flag carrier, based in Bogotá and a member of Star Alliance. Its predecessor, SCADTA, was founded in 1919, making Avianca one of the oldest airlines in the world.
Example: AV 245 from Miami to Bogotá leaves at 4:45 p.m.
ICAO code AVA; callsign "Avianca." SCADTA was founded by Colombian and German investors. Avianca restructured through US bankruptcy court in 2020 and 2021 and is now part of the Abra Group with Brazil's Gol.
5. Actuarial value
Medical · Health Insurance Abbreviations
Percentage of average total costs for covered benefits that a health plan pays, used under the Affordable Care Act to sort individual and small-group plans into metal tiers: bronze about 60 percent, silver 70 percent, gold 80 percent and platinum 90 percent. Enrollees pay the remainder on average through cost sharing.
Example: A gold plan with 80% AV costs more upfront but less at the doctor's office.
AV is calculated for a standard population, so an individual's actual share depends on how much care they use. Cost-sharing reduction versions of silver plans raise the AV to 73, 87 or 94 percent for eligible lower-income enrollees. In other contexts AV can mean atrioventricular or audiovisual.
6. Aortic valve
Medical · Cardiology Abbreviations
Valve between the left ventricle and the aorta, normally with three cusps (left, right and noncoronary), opening during systole and closing in diastole. Echo reports describe its structure, opening, peak velocity, mean gradient and calculated area.
Example: AV: trileaflet, moderately calcified, peak velocity 3.6 m/s, mean gradient 28 mmHg.
AV disease is usually stenosis from calcification or regurgitation from leaflet or root problems. The noncoronary cusp is so named because no coronary artery arises behind it. Because AV more commonly means atrioventricular, many reports write "aortic valve" in full or use AoV.
7. AV Preeminent rating
Law & Legal · Legal Profession Abbreviations
Highest peer-review rating awarded to lawyers by Martindale-Hubbell, indicating that fellow lawyers and judges rate the lawyer's legal ability as very high and ethical standards as excellent. Lawyers display it in advertising and on firm websites.
Example: Our founding partner has held an AV Preeminent rating for more than 20 years.
In the traditional scheme, a letter rated legal ability (A, B or C) and V marked very high ethical standards, so AV was the top combination and BV the next. The labels were later rebranded as AV Preeminent, Distinguished and Notable. Martindale-Hubbell's directory traces its roots to the 1860s. Some state advertising rules require disclosing how such ratings are awarded.
Related abbreviations
More cardiology abbreviations
- ARVC – Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
- AS – Aortic stenosis
- ASCVD – Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
- ASD – Atrial septal defect
- AVB – Atrioventricular block
- AVNRT – Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia
- AVR – Aortic valve replacement
- AVRT – Atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia
See all 229 cardiology abbreviations →
More cybersecurity abbreviations
- AES – Advanced Encryption Standard
- APT – Advanced persistent threat
- ASLR – Address space layout randomization
- ATT&CK – Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge
- BEC – Business email compromise
- BYOD – Bring your own device
- C2 – Command and control
- CA – Certificate authority
See all 119 cybersecurity abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical or legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.