BQ
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Bloc Québécois |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Government & Politics, Units & Measurements, Sports, Geography & Places |
| Also written | Bq |
BQ has four meanings. The most common are Bloc Québécois (world government) and Becquerel (metric and SI unit); it can also stand for Boston qualifier and Caribbean Netherlands.
Meanings of BQ at a glance
| # | BQ stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bloc Québécois | Government & Politics › World Government |
| 2 | Becquerel | Units & Measurements › Metric and SI Unit |
| 3 | Boston qualifier | Sports › Other Sports |
| 4 | Caribbean Netherlands | Geography & Places › Country Code |
1. Bloc Québécois
Government & Politics · World Government Abbreviations
Federal political party that runs candidates only in Quebec and supports Quebec sovereignty. It promotes Quebec's interests in the House of Commons in Ottawa.
Example: The BQ won most of the francophone ridings outside Montreal.
Founded in 1991 by Lucien Bouchard and other MPs who left their parties after the failure of the Meech Lake Accord. It became the Official Opposition after the 1993 election despite running only in Quebec. Its provincial counterpart in spirit is the Parti Québécois, a separate party.
2. Becquerel (Bq)
Units & Measurements · Metric and SI Unit Abbreviations
Radioactivity equal to one nuclear decay per second. Food contamination limits, indoor radon levels in Europe and medical radioisotope doses are expressed in becquerels, often per kilogram or per cubic meter.
Example: Japan limits radioactive cesium in general foods to 100 Bq/kg.
Named after Henri Becquerel, who discovered radioactivity in 1896. It replaced the much larger curie: 1 Ci equals 37 billion Bq. The European reference level for indoor radon is 300 Bq/m³, while US guidance uses 4 pCi/L, about 148 Bq/m³.
3. Boston qualifier
Sports · Other Sports Abbreviations
Finishing time fast enough to meet the Boston Marathon's age-group qualifying standard, a major goal for amateur marathoners. "BQ" is used both as a noun and as a verb.
Example: With a 3:01 at Chicago, he finally got his BQ.
The Boston Marathon, first run in 1897, is the world's oldest annual marathon. Meeting the standard does not guarantee entry; when demand is high, runners need a margin below their time. The Boston Athletic Association tightened standards by five minutes for most age groups for the 2026 race.
4. Caribbean Netherlands
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
Code introduced in 2010 for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, three Caribbean islands that became special municipalities of the Netherlands when the Netherlands Antilles were dissolved. The alpha-3 code is BES, from the islands' initials.
Example: Divers flying to Bonaire should select BQ in the airline's country menu.
The islands use the US dollar rather than the euro. Kralendijk on Bonaire is the largest town. Some older systems still list them under the retired code AN.
Related abbreviations
More world government abbreviations
- ASIS – Australian Secret Intelligence Service
- ATO – Australian Taxation Office
- BJP – Bharatiya Janata Party
- BND – Federal Intelligence Service
- CAP – Common Agricultural Policy
- CBI – Central Bureau of Investigation
- CBSA – Canada Border Services Agency
- CCP – Chinese Communist Party
See all 103 world government abbreviations →