ON
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Ontario |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Geography & Places, Writing & Everyday |
ON has two meanings. It stands for Ontario (Canadian province and territory) or Old Norse (grammar and dictionary).
Meanings of ON at a glance
| # | ON stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ontario | Geography & Places › Canadian Province and Territory |
| 2 | Old Norse | Writing & Everyday › Grammar and Dictionary |
1. Ontario
Geography & Places · Canadian Province and Territory Abbreviations
Canada's most populous province, with more than 15 million people, home to both Toronto, the provincial capital and largest city, and Ottawa, the national capital. Ontario borders four of the five Great Lakes, and its postal codes begin with K, L, M, N or P.
Example: Mail the tax slip to Canada Revenue Agency, Sudbury ON P3A 5C1.
The traditional abbreviation is Ont., as in KINGSTON, Ont. ON is also the ordinary word on, so software that parses addresses must use context. Toronto postal codes all begin with M.
2. Old Norse
Writing & Everyday · Grammar and Dictionary Abbreviations
Labels Old Norse, the North Germanic language of the Viking Age, as the source of English words introduced through Scandinavian settlement in England from the 9th century.
Example: sky (n.) from ON ský "cloud," a sense that shifted to "the heavens" in Middle English
Old Norse gave English everyday words such as "they," "egg," "knife," "skin," "window" and "law." Many sk- words, including "skirt," reveal Norse origin, while their native English cousins have sh- ("shirt"). Modern Icelandic is the closest living relative of Old Norse.
Related abbreviations
More Canadian province and territory abbreviations
- NS – Nova Scotia
- NT – Northwest Territories
- NU – Nunavut
- NWT – Northwest Territories
- Ont. – Ontario
- PE – Prince Edward Island
- PEI – Prince Edward Island
- PQ – Province of Quebec
See all 26 Canadian province and territory abbreviations →