PF
Abbreviation with 5 meanings
| Stands for | Personal foul (basketball) |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 5 |
| Categories | Sports, Medical, Units & Measurements, Geography & Places |
| Also written | Pf |
PF has five meanings. The most common are Personal foul (basketball) (basketball) and Power forward (basketball); it can also stand for Pulmonary fibrosis, Proof and French Polynesia.
Meanings of PF at a glance
| # | PF stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Personal foul (basketball) | Sports › Basketball |
| 2 | Power forward | Sports › Basketball |
| 3 | Pulmonary fibrosis | Medical › Respiratory |
| 4 | Proof | Units & Measurements › Math |
| 5 | French Polynesia | Geography & Places › Country Code |
1. Personal foul (basketball)
Sports · Basketball Abbreviations
Foul for illegal physical contact with an opponent, such as pushing, holding, blocking or reaching in. NBA players foul out after six personal fouls; in college and FIBA games the limit is five, and team fouls in a period lead to free throws.
Example: Box score: 34 MIN, 12 PTS, 9 REB, 5 PF.
Shown as PF in box-score columns, which is easy to confuse with the power forward position. Personal fouls differ from technical fouls, which punish unsportsmanlike conduct rather than contact. In American football, a personal foul is a 15-yard penalty for dangerous play.
2. Power forward
Sports · Basketball Abbreviations
Frontcourt player, the "4", who plays near the basket for rebounds, interior scoring and defense, though modern "stretch fours" also shoot three-pointers. Power forwards usually guard bigger players than small forwards do.
Example: The Spurs moved their PF to center when the starter fouled out.
Tim Duncan, Karl Malone and Dirk Nowitzki are among the greatest at the position; Nowitzki's outside shooting popularized the stretch four. On a box score, PF in the stats columns means personal fouls, so check whether it appears in the position column or the stats line.
3. Pulmonary fibrosis
Medical · Respiratory Abbreviations
Scarring and stiffening of lung tissue that makes breathing progressively harder and reduces oxygen transfer to the blood. It may result from autoimmune disease, environmental or occupational exposures, medications, radiation or infections, or be idiopathic.
Example: Post-COVID PF with persistent ground-glass and reticulation; referred to the ILD clinic.
Patient organizations such as the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation use PF as the general term, while clinicians distinguish idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) from fibrosis due to known causes. Occupational forms include asbestosis, silicosis and coal workers' pneumoconiosis. Lung function is followed with FVC and DLCO, and a 10 percent fall in FVC within a year signals progression.
4. Proof (Pf)
Units & Measurements · Math Abbreviations
Shorthand heading for a proof in handwritten notes, problem sets and blackboard lectures, followed by the argument and closed with QED or a box.
Example: Pf: Suppose for contradiction that the square root of 2 equals p/q in lowest terms.
Typeset texts usually write "Proof." in italics instead. Common strategies include direct proof, proof by contradiction, proof by contrapositive and induction. The end is marked with ∎, □, QED or "as required".
5. French Polynesia
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
French overseas collectivity of 118 islands and atolls in the South Pacific, including Tahiti and Bora Bora, with Papeete as its capital and PYF as its alpha-3 code.
Example: Pearl farms in PF produce most of the world's black Tahitian pearls.
French Polynesia uses the CFP franc. France tested nuclear weapons at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls from 1966 to 1996.
Related abbreviations
More basketball abbreviations
- MVP – Most Valuable Player
- OREB – Offensive rebounds
- ORtg – Offensive rating
- PER – Player efficiency rating
- PG – Point guard
- PnR – Pick-and-roll
- PPG – Points per game
- PTS – Points (basketball)
See all 52 basketball abbreviations →
More respiratory abbreviations
- PE – Pulmonary embolism
- PEEP – Positive end-expiratory pressure
- PEF – Peak expiratory flow
- PEFR – Peak expiratory flow rate
- PFT – Pulmonary function test
- PH – Pulmonary hypertension
- PIP – Peak inspiratory pressure
- PNA – Pneumonia
See all 109 respiratory abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.