GER
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Gastroesophageal reflux (infant) |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Medical, Geography & Places, Writing & Everyday |
| Also written | Ger., ger. |
GER has four meanings. The most common are Gastroesophageal reflux (infant) (pediatric & neonatal) and Germany (country code); it can also stand for German and Gerund.
Meanings of GER at a glance
| # | GER stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gastroesophageal reflux (infant) | Medical › Pediatric & Neonatal |
| 2 | Germany | Geography & Places › Country Code |
| 3 | German | Writing & Everyday › Grammar and Dictionary |
| 4 | Gerund | Writing & Everyday › Grammar and Dictionary |
1. Gastroesophageal reflux (infant)
Medical · Pediatric & Neonatal Abbreviations
Passage of stomach contents into the esophagus, common and normal in healthy infants, causing frequent spitting up that peaks around four months and usually resolves by 12–18 months. "Happy spitters" growing well need reassurance rather than medication.
Example: Spitting up after feeds, thriving, no distress: physiologic GER, reassurance and paced feeding.
GER becomes GERD only when it causes troublesome symptoms or complications such as poor weight gain, feeding refusal or esophagitis. Pediatric guidelines advise against acid suppressants for uncomplicated infant reflux because they do not reduce crying and carry risks. Upright holding and smaller feeds may help.
2. Germany
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
Three-letter code for Germany used by the IOC, FIFA and most sports federations, seen on Olympic scoreboards and World Cup graphics. It differs from the ISO alpha-3 code DEU, which comes from Deutschland.
Example: GER leads the medal table after the bobsleigh events.
West Germany competed as FRG and East Germany as GDR at the Olympics before reunification in 1990. Germany has won four men's World Cups (1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014). The German vehicle sign is D.
3. German (Ger.)
Writing & Everyday · Grammar and Dictionary Abbreviations
Identifies German as the source language in etymologies, glossaries and bilingual references, as in "from Ger. Angst." It appears in dictionaries alongside labels such as Fr., It. and Lat.
Example: angst (n.) from Ger. Angst "fear," popularized in English through existentialist writing
German loanwords in English include kindergarten, wanderlust, schadenfreude and zeitgeist. Etymologies also distinguish Old High German (OHG), Middle High German (MHG) and Low German (LG). German capitalizes all nouns, which is why some loans such as Angst keep a capital letter in English.
4. Gerund (ger.)
Writing & Everyday · Grammar and Dictionary Abbreviations
Labels a gerund, the -ing form of a verb used as a noun, as in "Swimming is good exercise." Grammars distinguish it from the identical-looking present participle.
Example: After "enjoy," use the ger.: "I enjoy reading," not "I enjoy to read."
Whether to use a possessive before a gerund ("his leaving" or "him leaving") is a long-running usage debate, with formal style favoring the possessive. Some modern grammars merge gerunds and present participles into a single "gerund-participle" category. The term comes from the Latin gerundium.
Related abbreviations
More pediatric & neonatal abbreviations
- ELBW – Extremely low birth weight
- FASD – Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
- FTT – Failure to thrive
- GDD – Global developmental delay
- HepA – Hepatitis A vaccine
- HepB – Hepatitis B vaccine
- HFMD – Hand, foot and mouth disease
- Hib – Haemophilus influenzae type b (vaccine)
See all 51 pediatric & neonatal abbreviations →
More country code abbreviations
- GB – United Kingdom
- GBR – United Kingdom
- GD – Grenada
- GE – Georgia
- GF – French Guiana
- GG – Guernsey
- GH – Ghana
- GI – Gibraltar
See all 270 country code abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.