Pres.
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | President |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Writing & Everyday, Medical |
| Also written | PRES, pres. |
Pres. has three meanings. The most common are President (title and honorific) and Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (neurology); it can also stand for Present (tense).
Meanings of Pres. at a glance
| # | Pres. stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | President | Writing & Everyday › Title and Honorific |
| 2 | Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome | Medical › Neurology |
| 3 | Present (tense) | Writing & Everyday › Grammar and Dictionary |
1. President
Writing & Everyday · Title and Honorific Abbreviations
Shortened form of President seen in lists, captions, letterheads, yearbooks and headlines. In running text most style guides write the word in full before a name.
Example: The plaque lists the club's founders and first officers, including Pres. Walter Harmon, elected 1921.
News style writes the title in full before a name, as in "President Jane Doe." The short form is more typical of organizational rosters, tables of administrations and space-limited headlines. Related forms include Vice Pres. and VP. Grammarians also use "pres." for the present tense.
2. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES)
Medical · Neurology Abbreviations
Acute syndrome of headache, confusion, seizures and visual disturbance with brain swelling (vasogenic edema), typically in the back of the brain on MRI. Triggers include severe hypertension, eclampsia, kidney failure, and drugs such as tacrolimus, cyclosporine and some chemotherapy.
Example: Postpartum seizure with BP 190/110; MRI shows bilateral parieto-occipital edema consistent with PRES.
First described as a syndrome by Hinchey and colleagues in 1996. Despite the name it is not always posterior and not always reversible: bleeding or infarction can occur. Treatment involves lowering blood pressure, controlling seizures and stopping the offending drug, and most patients recover within days to weeks.
3. Present (tense) (pres.)
Writing & Everyday · Grammar and Dictionary Abbreviations
Labels the present tense in grammar descriptions and verb tables, as in "pres. part." (present participle) or "pres. 3rd sing." It appears in dictionaries, grammars and language textbooks.
Example: be (v.) pres. am, are, is; past was, were; pp. been
English has only two inflected tenses, present and past; future time is expressed with auxiliaries such as "will." The present participle ends in -ing ("running") and also forms the progressive aspect. In titles, Pres. means president, an unrelated abbreviation.
Related abbreviations
More title and honorific abbreviations
- Ms. – Ms. (title for a woman regardless of marital status)
- Mx. – Mx. (gender-neutral courtesy title)
- OBE – Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- Ofc. – Officer
- Prof. – Professor
- Rep. – Representative
- Rt. Hon. – Right Honourable
- Sec. – Secretary
See all 54 title and honorific abbreviations →
More neurology abbreviations
- PN – Peripheral neuropathy
- PNES – Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures
- PPA – Primary progressive aphasia
- PPMS – Primary progressive multiple sclerosis
- PSP – Progressive supranuclear palsy
- PTC – Pseudotumor cerebri
- PVS – Persistent vegetative state
- RBD – REM sleep behavior disorder
See all 131 neurology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.