FD

Abbreviation with 5 meanings

FD
Stands forFire department
Meanings5
CategoriesGovernment & Politics, Medical, Business & Finance, Writing & Everyday, Transportation & Travel
Also writtenF.D.

FD has five meanings. The most common are Fire department (emergency services) and Functional dyspepsia (gastroenterology); it can also stand for Fixed deposit, Fidei defensor (Defender of the Faith) and Flight director.

Meanings of FD at a glance

#FD stands forContext
1Fire departmentGovernment & Politics › Emergency Services
2Functional dyspepsiaMedical › Gastroenterology
3Fixed depositBusiness & Finance › Banking
4Fidei defensor (Defender of the Faith)Writing & Everyday › Latin
5Flight directorTransportation & Travel › Aviation

1. Fire department

Government & Politics · Emergency Services Abbreviations

Public or volunteer organization that fights fires and, in most places, also handles medical calls, rescues, hazardous materials incidents and fire prevention. Medical emergencies make up the majority of calls for many US fire departments.

Example: Call the FD's non-emergency line to ask about a smoke detector check.

The US has roughly 29,000 fire departments, and about two-thirds of American firefighters are volunteers, mainly in rural areas. Large city departments are known by their initials, such as FDNY and LAFD. In aviation, FD means flight director, an unrelated meaning.

2. Functional dyspepsia

Medical · Gastroenterology Abbreviations

Chronic upper abdominal pain, burning, early satiety or postprandial fullness without an ulcer, cancer or other structural cause on endoscopy. Rome IV divides it into postprandial distress syndrome and epigastric pain syndrome; treatments include H. pylori eradication, PPIs and low-dose tricyclics.

Example: Normal EGD and negative H. pylori; FD, epigastric pain subtype, trial of amitriptyline 10 mg nightly.

Functional dyspepsia is one of the most common disorders of gut-brain interaction, affecting around 7 percent of adults in Rome Foundation surveys. It frequently overlaps with IBS and gastroparesis. Symptoms must be present for the last three months with onset at least six months earlier.

3. Fixed deposit

Business & Finance · Banking Abbreviations

Term deposit offered by banks and non-bank finance companies in India and other South Asian countries, paying a fixed interest rate for a set period, from seven days to ten years. It is the Indian equivalent of a certificate of deposit.

Example: My grandfather keeps most of his savings in bank FDs because the returns are guaranteed.

Senior citizens usually receive a higher rate, often 0.5 percentage points more. Interest is taxable, and banks deduct tax at source above set thresholds. Deposits at Indian banks are insured by the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) up to ₹5 lakh per depositor per bank.

4. Fidei defensor (Defender of the Faith) (F.D.)

Writing & Everyday · Latin Abbreviations

Abbreviates a title held by English and later British monarchs, still printed on UK coins as F D. Pope Leo X granted the title to Henry VIII in 1521 for a treatise defending the sacraments against Martin Luther.

Example: The coin's legend ends with F D, recalling a papal honor that outlived England's break with Rome.

After Henry broke with Rome the papacy withdrew the honor, but Parliament conferred the title on the king and his successors in 1544, and every monarch since has kept it. Older coins abbreviate it FID DEF, as in the legends of George V and George VI. In 1994 the then Prince Charles remarked that he would rather be seen as a defender of faith in general.

5. Flight director

Transportation & Travel · Aviation Abbreviations

Guidance display, usually magenta or green command bars on the attitude indicator, showing the pitch and roll needed to follow a selected path or mode. Pilots follow the FD cues when hand-flying, and the autopilot follows the same commands when engaged.

Example: Turn the FD on before takeoff so the command bars show the initial pitch attitude.

Styles include the single-cue "V-bar" and the two-bar "crosshair." Airline procedures commonly require both flight directors on for takeoff. Outside aviation, FD most often means fire department, an unrelated public-safety meaning.

More emergency services abbreviations

  • EOC – Emergency operations center
  • ERG – Emergency Response Guidebook
  • ESF – Emergency support function
  • FACP – Fire alarm control panel
  • FDC – Fire department connection
  • FDNY – Fire Department of the City of New York
  • FF – Firefighter
  • HAZMAT – Hazardous materials

See all 72 emergency services abbreviations →

More gastroenterology abbreviations

  • ESD – Endoscopic submucosal dissection
  • EUS – Endoscopic ultrasound
  • EVL – Endoscopic variceal ligation
  • FAP – Familial adenomatous polyposis
  • FIT – Fecal immunochemical test
  • FMT – Fecal microbiota transplantation
  • FOBT – Fecal occult blood test
  • GAVE – Gastric antral vascular ectasia

See all 85 gastroenterology abbreviations →

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.