LR
Abbreviation with 5 meanings
| Stands for | Lactated Ringer's solution |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 5 |
| Categories | Medical, Geography & Places, Writing & Everyday, Science & Engineering |
| Also written | Lr |
LR has five meanings. The most common are Lactated Ringer's solution (pharmacy) and Likelihood ratio (medical research); it can also stand for Liberia, Living room and Lawrencium.
Meanings of LR at a glance
| # | LR stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lactated Ringer's solution | Medical › Pharmacy |
| 2 | Likelihood ratio | Medical › Medical Research |
| 3 | Liberia | Geography & Places › Country Code |
| 4 | Living room | Writing & Everyday › Classified Ad |
| 5 | Lawrencium | Science & Engineering › Chemical Element |
1. Lactated Ringer's solution
Medical · Pharmacy Abbreviations
Balanced crystalloid IV fluid whose electrolytes resemble plasma: about 130 mEq/L sodium, 109 chloride, 4 potassium, 3 calcium and 28 lactate, which the liver converts to bicarbonate. It is widely used in surgery, trauma, burns and sepsis.
Example: LR 30 mL/kg bolus for septic shock; reassess after each liter.
Named after British physiologist Sydney Ringer, who developed Ringer's solution in the 1880s; American pediatrician Alexis Hartmann added lactate in the 1930s, so British clinicians call it Hartmann's solution. Its calcium content means it should not run in the same line as citrated blood products or be co-infused with ceftriaxone in neonates.
2. Likelihood ratio
Medical · Medical Research Abbreviations
Factor by which a test result changes the odds of disease: the positive likelihood ratio equals sensitivity divided by (1 minus specificity), and the negative likelihood ratio equals (1 minus sensitivity) divided by specificity. Ratios above 10 or below 0.1 produce large, often decisive shifts in probability.
Example: A positive LR of 12 moves a 20% pretest probability to about 75%.
Unlike predictive values, likelihood ratios do not depend on prevalence, so they transfer between settings. The Fagan nomogram converts pretest probability and an LR into post-test probability without calculation. In IV fluids LR means lactated Ringer's solution.
3. Liberia
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
Liberia was founded by the American Colonization Society in 1822 as a settlement for freed African Americans and declared independence in 1847. Monrovia, the capital, is named after President James Monroe; the alpha-3 code is LBR.
Example: Many tankers fly the LR flag although they never visit Monrovia.
Liberia runs one of the world's largest ship registries, a flag of convenience administered from Virginia. Its flag resembles the US flag with a single star.
4. Living room
Writing & Everyday · Classified Ad Abbreviations · also used in business
Labels the main sitting room on floor plans and in property listings, sometimes combined as LR/DR for a living-dining area.
Example: Spacious LR with fireplace opens onto a deck overlooking the backyard.
British listings often say "reception room" or "lounge" instead. An open-plan "great room" merges living and dining areas, and some listings advertise an "LR/DR combo." Room sizes are usually given in feet, such as 14 x 18.
5. Lawrencium (Lr)
Science & Engineering · Chemical Element Abbreviations
Lawrencium (element 103) is the last member of the actinide series, first made by bombarding californium with boron ions. Its isotopes survive from seconds to hours, and chemists have used it to test how relativity alters the electron structure of very heavy atoms.
Example: Ionization energy measurements on single Lr atoms were published in Nature in 2015.
Albert Ghiorso, Torbjørn Sikkeland, Almon Larsh and Robert Latimer reported it at Berkeley in 1961, and it was named after Ernest Lawrence, inventor of the cyclotron. The symbol Lw was used at first and changed to Lr in 1963. Dubna also published work on element 103, and IUPAC shared the credit between the two laboratories.
Related abbreviations
More pharmacy abbreviations
- LA – Long-acting
- LAFW – Laminar airflow workbench
- LASA – Look-alike, sound-alike
- LDD – Limited distribution drug
- LVP – Large-volume parenteral
- MAC – Maximum allowable cost
- MAR – Medication administration record
- MDI – Metered-dose inhaler
See all 134 pharmacy abbreviations →
More medical research abbreviations
- IRB – Institutional review board
- ITT – Intention-to-treat
- KM – Kaplan-Meier (estimator)
- LOE – Level of evidence
- LTFU – Lost to follow-up
- MA – Meta-analysis
- MedDRA – Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities
- MeSH – Medical Subject Headings
See all 94 medical research abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.