inst.
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Instante mense (this month) |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Writing & Everyday |
| Also written | Inst. |
inst. has two meanings. It stands for Instante mense (this month) (Latin) or Institute (everyday).
Meanings of inst. at a glance
| # | inst. stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Instante mense (this month) | Writing & Everyday › Latin |
| 2 | Institute | Writing & Everyday › Everyday |
1. Instante mense (this month)
Writing & Everyday · Latin Abbreviations
Old commercial shorthand for "of the current month," placed after a day number. Clerks used it to refer to earlier letters without repeating the month name, alongside ult. and prox.
Example: We acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 14th inst. and enclose the requested samples.
The trio inst., ult. and prox. filled 19th- and early 20th-century business letters, legal notices and newspapers. Modern business-writing guides treat all three as obsolete and recommend naming the month. The Latin instans means "present, pressing," and the full word "instant" lingers in a few formal British letters, as in "your letter of the 5th instant."
2. Institute (Inst.)
Writing & Everyday · Everyday Abbreviations
Shortens "institute" in organization names, addresses and citations, as in "Mass. Inst. of Technology" or "Inst. of Physics."
Example: The study was conducted at the Inst. for Health Metrics in Seattle.
Institutes are often research bodies or specialized schools. Journal-title abbreviations under ISO 4 use "Inst." as well. In old business letters, lowercase inst. meant "this month" (instante mense), an unrelated Latin usage.
Related abbreviations
More Latin abbreviations
- i.a. – Inter alia (among other things)
- i.e. – Id est (that is)
- ibid. – Ibidem (in the same place)
- Id. – Idem (the same)
- loc. cit. – Loco citato (in the place cited)
- M.O. – Modus operandi (method of operating)
- N.B. – Nota bene (note well)
- nem. con. – Nemine contradicente (with no one dissenting)
See all 53 Latin abbreviations →