ME
Abbreviation with 5 meanings
| Stands for | Maine |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 5 |
| Categories | Geography & Places, Writing & Everyday, Science & Engineering, Military |
| Also written | Me |
ME has five meanings. The most common are Maine (US state) and Middle English (grammar and dictionary); it can also stand for Montenegro, Methyl group and Maritime Enforcement Specialist.
Meanings of ME at a glance
| # | ME stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | Geography & Places › US State |
| 2 | Middle English | Writing & Everyday › Grammar and Dictionary |
| 3 | Montenegro | Geography & Places › Country Code |
| 4 | Methyl group | Science & Engineering › Chemistry |
| 5 | Maritime Enforcement Specialist | Military › US Navy and Coast Guard Rating |
1. Maine
Geography & Places · US State Abbreviations
The northeasternmost US state, separated from Massachusetts and admitted on March 15, 1820, as the 23rd state under the Missouri Compromise. Augusta is the capital and Portland the largest city, and the Pine Tree State supplies most of the lobster landed in the United States.
Example: Lobster shipments leave the dock in Portland, ME overnight and arrive by noon.
AP never abbreviates Maine, even in datelines; the traditional Me. survives in older documents and in Bluebook legal citations. ME was set in 1963 and is often confused with MA (Massachusetts), MD (Maryland), MI (Michigan) and MN (Minnesota). As an ISO country code ME belongs to Montenegro, whose .me domain is popular for personal sites.
2. Middle English
Writing & Everyday · Grammar and Dictionary Abbreviations
Labels the form of English used from roughly 1100 to 1500, between Old English and Early Modern English. Dictionaries use it in etymologies to show how words entered or changed in that period.
Example: beef (n.) from ME beef, borrowed from Old French boef after the Norman Conquest
Middle English absorbed thousands of French words, especially in law, government and food, which is why English has native "cow" but French-derived "beef." Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, written in the late 14th century, is its best-known literary work. The Great Vowel Shift began near the end of the period.
3. Montenegro
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
Montenegro received its code in 2006, the year it became independent from Serbia and Montenegro; Podgorica is the capital and MNE the alpha-3 code. Its .me domain is marketed worldwide for personal websites and services.
Example: Her portfolio site lives on a .me domain registered through ME's national registry.
Montenegro uses the euro without being a member of the euro area. In US addresses ME means Maine. The name means black mountain.
4. Methyl group (Me)
Science & Engineering · Chemistry Abbreviations
Organic chemistry symbol for the methyl group, -CH3, a carbon bonded to three hydrogens. It appears in structural shorthand and names such as MeOH (methanol), MeCN (acetonitrile) and OMe (methoxy), letting chemists draw complex molecules compactly.
Example: Methylation with MeI and potassium carbonate converted the phenol to its OMe ether.
Part of a family of alkyl abbreviations: Me (methyl), Et (ethyl), Pr (propyl), iPr (isopropyl), Bu (butyl) and tBu (tert-butyl). A single added methyl group can change a drug's potency dramatically, an effect medicinal chemists call the "magic methyl." The capital M and lowercase e distinguish it from ME, the US postal code for Maine.
5. Maritime Enforcement Specialist
Military · US Navy and Coast Guard Rating Abbreviations
Coast Guard rating focused on law enforcement and security: boarding vessels, enforcing fisheries and drug laws, protecting ports and high-value assets, and operating weapons on cutters and boats.
Example: ME1 Sato led the boarding team that seized two tons of cocaine from the go-fast boat.
Maritime enforcement specialists are the Coast Guard's tactical law enforcement professionals and often serve on deployable specialized forces. They hold federal law enforcement authority under Title 14 of the US Code, unlike Navy personnel, who are generally barred from civilian law enforcement.
Related abbreviations
More US state abbreviations
- KY – Kentucky
- LA – Louisiana
- MA – Massachusetts
- MD – Maryland
- MI – Michigan
- MN – Minnesota
- MO – Missouri
- MS – Mississippi
See all 51 US state abbreviations →