CP
Abbreviation with 8 meanings
| Stands for | Cerebral palsy |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 8 |
| Categories | Medical, Science & Engineering, Business & Finance, Military, Law & Legal, Religion |
CP has eight meanings. The most common are Cerebral palsy (neurology) and Chest pain (cardiology); it can also stand for Chronic pancreatitis, Charge-parity (symmetry), Commercial paper, Command post and Certified Paralegal, plus 1 more listed below.
Meanings of CP at a glance
| # | CP stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cerebral palsy | Medical › Neurology |
| 2 | Chest pain | Medical › Cardiology |
| 3 | Chronic pancreatitis | Medical › Gastroenterology |
| 4 | Charge-parity (symmetry) | Science & Engineering › Physics |
| 5 | Commercial paper | Business & Finance › Bond & Fixed-Income |
| 6 | Command post | Military › Military Term |
| 7 | Certified Paralegal | Law & Legal › Legal Profession |
| 8 | Congregation of the Passion | Religion › Religious Title |
1. Cerebral palsy
Medical · Neurology Abbreviations
Group of permanent movement and posture disorders caused by damage to the developing brain before, during or shortly after birth. It is the most common motor disability of childhood, affecting about 1 in 345 children in the United States according to CDC estimates.
Example: Spastic diplegic CP, GMFCS level II; botulinum toxin injections and physical therapy continue.
Spastic CP, with stiff muscles, accounts for most cases; other types are dyskinetic and ataxic. Risk factors include premature birth, low birth weight, infections and birth asphyxia. Function is classified with the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I to V. CP is not progressive, though its effects change as children grow. In cardiology notes CP means chest pain.
2. Chest pain
Medical · Cardiology Abbreviations
Presenting complaint in emergency and cardiology notes, covering causes from heart attack and aortic dissection to reflux, muscle strain and anxiety. Evaluation centers on an ECG within 10 minutes of arrival, troponin testing and structured risk tools such as the HEART score.
Example: 58M with substernal CP radiating to the jaw for 2 hours, diaphoretic; ECG and troponin STAT.
The 2021 AHA/ACC chest pain guideline recommends describing pain as cardiac, possibly cardiac or noncardiac instead of the vague label "atypical." Life-threatening causes that triage must exclude are acute coronary syndrome, aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, tension pneumothorax, cardiac tamponade and esophageal rupture. CP has other medical meanings, notably cerebral palsy, so specialty context matters.
3. Chronic pancreatitis
Medical · Gastroenterology Abbreviations
Progressive inflammation and fibrosis of the pancreas that permanently destroys exocrine and endocrine tissue, causing chronic abdominal pain, malabsorption and diabetes. Heavy alcohol use and smoking are the main causes, and imaging often shows calcifications and a dilated, irregular pancreatic duct.
Example: CP with ductal calcifications on CT, steatorrhea and new type 3c diabetes; refer to pancreas clinic.
CP is more widely recognized as cerebral palsy or chest pain, so pancreatology papers define it at first use. Diabetes caused by pancreatic disease is classified as type 3c (pancreatogenic) diabetes. Patients have a raised risk of pancreatic cancer. Celiac plexus block and endoscopic or surgical drainage are options for intractable pain.
4. Charge-parity (symmetry)
Science & Engineering · Physics Abbreviations
Combined symmetry that swaps particles for antiparticles (charge conjugation, C) and mirrors space (parity, P). Its violation, a slight difference in how matter and antimatter behave, is needed to explain why the universe contains far more matter than antimatter.
Example: The LHCb experiment observed CP violation in charm-meson decays for the first time in 2019.
James Cronin and Val Fitch discovered CP violation in neutral kaon decays in 1964 and shared the 1980 Nobel Prize. Andrei Sakharov listed CP violation among the conditions for creating a matter excess in 1967. The broader CPT symmetry, adding time reversal, is believed to be exact in all physical laws.
5. Commercial paper
Business & Finance · Bond & Fixed-Income Abbreviations
Unsecured short-term debt issued by large companies and financial institutions, typically maturing in 270 days or less in the US, to fund payroll, inventory and other short-term needs. It is sold at a discount and bought mainly by money market funds.
Example: The automaker rolls over about $5 billion of CP each month to fund its dealer inventory.
The 270-day limit lets US issuers avoid SEC registration. CP markets froze in September 2008 and March 2020, prompting the Federal Reserve to set up emergency commercial paper facilities. Asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) is secured by pools of receivables.
6. Command post
Military · Military Term Abbreviations
Unit headquarters or other location from which a commander and staff direct operations, ranging from a vehicle to a large tent complex. It is the nerve center through which orders and reports flow.
Example: Move the company CP to the farmhouse once the area is cleared.
In Iraq and Afghanistan, CP was also widely used for checkpoint, so radio traffic often depends on context. Army doctrine distinguishes main, tactical and early-entry command posts. In policing, CP can mean command post at an incident scene.
7. Certified Paralegal
Law & Legal · Legal Profession Abbreviations · also used in education
Professional credential awarded by NALA, the Paralegal Association, to paralegals who meet education or experience requirements and pass its certification exam. Holders must complete continuing education to keep it.
Example: The firm's litigation team includes two senior paralegals who hold the CP credential.
The credential was called Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) until NALA renamed it, and the exam dates to 1976. NALA also offers an Advanced Certified Paralegal credential. Paralegals work under lawyer supervision and cannot give legal advice themselves.
8. Congregation of the Passion
Religion · Religious Title Abbreviations
Passionist priests and brothers belong to a congregation founded in Italy in 1720 by St. Paul of the Cross, dedicated to preaching about the suffering and death of Jesus. Members take a special fourth vow to promote remembrance of the Passion.
Example: The Holy Week retreat was led by Fr. Donald Senior, CP, a noted New Testament scholar.
Passionists wear a black habit with a heart-shaped badge bearing the words "Jesu XPI Passio". Their US houses include retreat centers in several states. CP has many other meanings, such as cerebral palsy in medicine.
Related abbreviations
More neurology abbreviations
- CIDP – Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
- CIS – Clinically isolated syndrome
- CJD – Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
- CMT – Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
- CPP – Cerebral perfusion pressure
- CSC – Comprehensive stroke center
- CTE – Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
- CVA – Cerebrovascular accident
See all 131 neurology abbreviations →
More cardiology abbreviations
- CLI – Critical limb ischemia
- CMR – Cardiac magnetic resonance
- CO – Cardiac output
- CoA – Coarctation of the aorta
- CPB – Cardiopulmonary bypass
- CRT – Cardiac resynchronization therapy
- CRT-D – Cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator
- CTO – Chronic total occlusion
See all 229 cardiology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical or legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.