ED
Abbreviation with 11 meanings
| Stands for | Emergency department |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 11 |
| Categories | Medical, Government & Politics, Writing & Everyday, Education & Academia, Business & Finance, Texting & Internet Slang |
| Also written | ed. |
ED has 11 meanings. The most common are Emergency department (hospital) and Erectile dysfunction (nephrology & urology); it can also stand for United States Department of Education, Edition, Editor, Early decision and Eating disorder, plus 4 more listed below.
Meanings of ED at a glance
| # | ED stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emergency department | Medical › Hospital |
| 2 | Erectile dysfunction | Medical › Nephrology & Urology |
| 3 | United States Department of Education | Government & Politics › US Federal Agency |
| 4 | Edition | Writing & Everyday › Citation and Bibliography |
| 5 | Editor | Writing & Everyday › Citation and Bibliography |
| 6 | Early decision | Education & Academia › Academic |
| 7 | Eating disorder | Medical › Mental Health & Psychiatry |
| 8 | Executive director | Business & Finance › Job Title |
| 9 | Edited by | Writing & Everyday › Citation and Bibliography |
| 10 | Ending (anime theme song) | Texting & Internet Slang › Fandom and Fan Fiction |
| 11 | Emotional disturbance | Education & Academia › K-12 Education |
1. Emergency department
Medical · Hospital Abbreviations
Hospital department providing round-the-clock care for urgent and emergency conditions, from minor injuries to cardiac arrest, open to anyone who arrives. Patients are triaged by acuity rather than arrival order.
Example: Pt presented to ED via EMS with chest pain, ECG shows STEMI.
ED is the preferred professional term, since care extends well beyond one room. US federal law (EMTALA) requires EDs at Medicare-participating hospitals to screen and stabilize everyone regardless of ability to pay. In urology ED means erectile dysfunction.
2. Erectile dysfunction
Medical · Nephrology & Urology Abbreviations
Persistent inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual activity. It becomes more common with age and shares risk factors with heart disease, including diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol; PDE5 inhibitors such as sildenafil and tadalafil are first-line treatment.
Example: New ED in 52-year-old smoker with diabetes; check lipids and A1c, start sildenafil 50 mg as needed.
The Massachusetts Male Aging Study found some degree of ED in about half of men aged 40 to 70. Because it can precede coronary disease by several years, ED is treated as a marker of cardiovascular risk. Sildenafil (Viagra) was approved by the FDA in 1998. Most often in medicine ED means emergency department, and in psychiatry eating disorder.
3. United States Department of Education
Government & Politics · US Federal Agency Abbreviations
Administers federal student aid, distributes funds to schools such as Title I grants, enforces civil rights laws in education and collects national education statistics. It is led by the Secretary of Education.
Example: Borrowers received an email from ED explaining the new repayment options for their federal loans.
Established by a 1979 law and opened in May 1980, it is the smallest cabinet department by staff and uses ED because DOE already belonged to Energy. A March 2025 executive order directed the Secretary to take steps toward closing the department to the extent permitted by law; abolishing it outright requires an act of Congress.
4. Edition (ed.)
Writing & Everyday · Citation and Bibliography Abbreviations
Identifies a particular edition of a book, such as a second, revised or anniversary edition, in a citation or catalog record. Editions after the first usually differ in content, so citing the right one matters for page numbers.
Example: American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 7th ed. Washington, DC: APA, 2020.
Citations show the edition after the title, as in "2nd ed." or "rev. ed."; reprints with unchanged text are not new editions. Oxford style and many British publishers write "edn" to avoid confusion with "editor." Book collectors distinguish the first printing of a first edition from later printings, which often sell for far less.
5. Editor (ed.)
Writing & Everyday · Citation and Bibliography Abbreviations
Follows the name of the person who edited a book or collection in a bibliography or citation, as in "Smith, Jane, ed." An editor selects, arranges or prepares other people's writing for publication.
Example: Morrison, Toni, ed. To Die for the People: The Writings of Huey P. Newton. New York: Random House, 1972.
The plural is eds. Chicago and MLA place ed. after the editor's name in bibliographies, while APA writes "(Ed.)" with a capital E. Because the same letters also mean "edition" and "edited by," their position in a citation tells readers which sense applies. In journalism, ed. can also mean an editorial.
6. Early decision
Education & Academia · Academic Abbreviations
Binding early application round in which a student applies to one first-choice college, typically by November 1 or 15, and agrees to enroll and withdraw all other applications if admitted. Many colleges add a second round, ED II, with January deadlines.
Example: Because the school was her clear first choice, she applied ED and heard back in mid-December.
The Common App requires an early decision agreement signed by the student, a parent and the counselor. Admitted students may be released only if the financial aid offer makes attendance impossible. ED admit rates are often much higher than regular rates, which critics say favors applicants who need not compare aid. ED is also the abbreviation for the US Department of Education.
7. Eating disorder
Medical · Mental Health & Psychiatry Abbreviations
Umbrella term for serious mental illnesses involving disturbed eating behaviors and related thoughts and emotions, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID and OSFED. Eating disorders affect people of all ages, genders and body sizes.
Example: ED history (AN in adolescence), now weight stable; avoid weight-focused language at visits.
Patients and recovery communities often refer to "ED recovery" or describe the illness as "ED". Eating disorders have high medical complication rates and are frequently missed in people who are not underweight. In most hospital notes ED means emergency department, and in urology erectile dysfunction, so the setting must be clear.
8. Executive director
Business & Finance · Job Title Abbreviations
Title for the chief executive of a nonprofit organization, charity or foundation, who runs operations and staff and reports to the board of trustees. In UK and Commonwealth companies, an executive director is instead a board member who also holds a management role.
Example: The food bank's ED reported a 30 percent rise in families served this year.
The two uses differ sharply: a US nonprofit ED is the equivalent of a CEO, while a UK company's executive directors (such as the CEO and CFO) sit on the board alongside non-executive directors. In hospitals, ED means emergency department.
9. Edited by (ed.)
Writing & Everyday · Citation and Bibliography Abbreviations
Introduces the name of an editor after the title of a work, as in "ed. Jane Smith." It is used when the editor is not the author but prepared the text, as with an anthology or a scholarly edition of a classic.
Example: Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Ed. Vivien Jones. London: Penguin Classics, 2003.
Chicago uses "ed." in notes but writes "Edited by" in full in bibliographies, and MLA 9 spells out "edited by" in works-cited entries. When one person both translated and edited a work, both roles are given, as in "trans. and ed." Older editions of classics may name a different editor, so the editor's name helps identify the exact text cited.
10. Ending (anime theme song)
Texting & Internet Slang · Fandom and Fan Fiction Abbreviations
Ending theme song and closing animation of an anime episode, played over or with the credits. Fans debate whether a series has a better OP or ED.
Example: The ED is so melancholy it makes the sad episodes hurt even more.
Like OPs, EDs are commercial singles and can launch artists' careers. Some series change their ED every season. Outside anime, ED commonly means emergency department or erectile dysfunction, contexts the fandom setting rules out.
11. Emotional disturbance
Education & Academia · K-12 Education Abbreviations
IDEA disability category for students with long-term emotional or behavioral conditions, such as anxiety, depression or difficulty maintaining relationships, that adversely affect educational performance. It is one of the 13 categories that can qualify a student for an IEP.
Example: He qualified for an IEP under ED after a year of school refusal and severe anxiety.
Several states use alternative labels such as emotional behavioral disability (EBD) or emotional and behavioral disorder. Students with this classification face higher rates of suspension, so behavior supports are central to their plans. ED also commonly abbreviates early decision and the US Department of Education.
Related abbreviations
More hospital abbreviations
- CVICU – Cardiovascular intensive care unit
- DNV – DNV Healthcare
- DON – Director of nursing
- ECF – Extended care facility
- ER – Emergency room
- EVS – Environmental services
- FQHC – Federally qualified health center
- FSED – Freestanding emergency department
See all 89 hospital abbreviations →
More nephrology & urology abbreviations
- CVVH – Continuous venovenous hemofiltration
- CVVHDF – Continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration
- DKD – Diabetic kidney disease
- DRE – Digital rectal exam
- ESKD – End-stage kidney disease
- ESRD – End-stage renal disease
- ESWL – Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy
- FENa – Fractional excretion of sodium
See all 71 nephrology & urology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.